WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A container for containing food, said container comprising: a body, said body defining
- a food-containing portion, said food-containing portion defining a food- containing portion base wall and a food-containing portion peripheral wall extending from said food-containing portion base wall, said food- containing portion peripheral wall defining a peripheral wall tapered section located substantially opposed to said food-containing portion base wall, said peripheral wall tapered section tapering in a direction leading substantially away from said food-containing portion base wall;
- a collar portion extending from said body peripheral wall substantially opposed to said body base wall, said collar portion defining a passageway leading into said food-containing portion; and
- a funnel portion extending from said collar portion, said funnel portion being tapered in a direction leading substantially toward said collar portion; said body being substantially flexible, said body being substantially self- supporting when empty.
2. A container as defined in claim 1, wherein said body is deformable between an open configuration in which said food is insertable into said body and a closed configuration in which said container defines an enclosure for substantially sealingly containing said food thereinto.
3. A container as defined in claim 2, wherein in said closed configuration, said collar portion is deformed so as to substantially seal said food-containing portion.
4. A container as defined in claim 3, further comprising a lock for selectively locking said body in said closed configuration.
5. A container as defined in claim 4, wherein said lock includes a tying string and an anchor tongue, said tying string and anchor tongues being configured and sized to selectively engage each other to lock said body in said closed configuration.
6. A container as defined in claim 5, wherein said anchor tongue and said tying string each extend integrally as a single piece of material from said collar portion.
7. A container as defined in claim 5, wherein said tying string is substantially elongated and substantially longitudinally resiliently stretchable, said tying string defining at least two longitudinally spaced apart retaining beads.
8. A container as defined in claim 7, wherein said anchor tongue defines an aperture, said aperture being substantially resiliently deformable between an undeformed configuration and a deformed configuration, wherein in said undeformed configuration, said retaining beads are substantially prevented from passing through said aperture, and in said deformed configuration, said aperture allows said retaining beads to pass therethrough.
9. A container as defined in claim 8, wherein said anchor tongue defines at least two apertures, each of said apertures being substantially resiliently deformable between an undeformed configuration and a deformed configuration, wherein in said undeformed configuration, said retaining beads are substantially prevented from passing through said apertures, and in said deformed configuration, said apertures allow said retaining beads to pass therethrough.
10. A container as defined in claim 4, wherein said lock includes a substantially resiliently stretchable tying loop, said tying loop defining two substantially opposed tying loop end sections, said tying loop end sections each extending from said collar portion.
11. A container as defined in claim 10, wherein said tying loop extends integrally as a single piece of material from said collar portion.
12. A container as defined in claim 1 , wherein said food-containing portion base wall has a substantially planar configuration.
13. A container as defined in claim 1 , wherein said funnel portion defines a substantially planar side section occupying a peripheral portion of said funnel portion.
14. A container as defined in claim 13, wherein said planar side section is provided with a substantially longitudinally extending planar section folding groove.
15.A container as defined in claim 14, wherein
- said planar side section defines a pair of substantially opposed planar section side edges;
- said collar portion is provided with a pair of spout forming grooves, said spout forming grooves being each provided substantially adjacent to one of said planar section side edges and extending substantially along at least a portion thereof.
16. A container as defined in claim 1 , wherein said food-containing portion peripheral wall is provided with engraved markings.
17. A container as defined in claim 1 , wherein said body is substantially resiliently stretchable.
18. A container as defined in claim 17, wherein said body includes silicone.
19. A container as defined in claim 1, wherein said collar portion is substantially more malleable than said food-containing portion.
20. A container for containing food, said container comprising: a body, said body being substantially flexible, said body being substantially self-supporting when empty, said body being deformable between an open configuration in which said food is insertable into said body and a closed configuration in which said container defines an enclosure for substantially sealingly containing said food thereinto, wherein
- in said open configuration, said body defines
- a food-containing portion, said food-containing portion defining a food-containing portion base wall and a food-containing portion peripheral wall extending from said food-containing portion base wall, said food-containing portion peripheral wall defining a peripheral wall tapered section located substantially opposed to said food-containing portion base wall, said peripheral wall tapered section tapering in a direction leading substantially away from said food-containing portion base wall;
- a collar portion extending from said body peripheral wall substantially opposed to said body base wall, said collar portion defining a passageway leading into said food-containing portion; and - a funnel portion extending from said collar portion, said funnel portion being tapered in a direction leading substantially toward said collar portion; in said closed configuration, said collar portion is deformed so as to substantially seal said food-containing portion. |
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
FLEXIBLE CONTAINER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to flexible containers and, more particularly, to a reclosable flexible container for storing, cooking or refrigerating edible foods and liquids.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Flexible containers for preserving or processing edible food, commonly called oven bags or freezer bags, are known in the art and are generally used for operations such as, for example, cooking poultry in a conventional oven, thawing frozen vegetables in a microwave oven, producing ice cubes by freezing water in compartmented flexible bags, and the like. These bags of the prior art are generally made of an oven and/or microwave safe material that can sustain temperature above 500 0 F (260 0 C), or of malleable plastics that can sustain freezing temperatures, depending on the specified usage of the bag.
[0003] Typical examples of the prior art are US2004/0252921A1 , to Winlarski et Al. (2003), US6290998B1 , to Layton et Al. (1999), US3716369, to Perlman (1970) and US6550966B1 , to Saad et Al. (1995).
[0004] While these prior art flexible containers can generally fulfill the main objective of cooking, thawing or freezing food, they also offer one or more of the following disadvantages:
[0005] a) they are generally designed for a specific purpose only, namely for a usage in a conventional oven, in a microwave oven, or in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator;
[0006] b) they are usually disposable after use since they are generally difficult or even impossible to thoroughly wash for reuse;
[0007] c) they are configured in a manner such that it is often relatively difficult to filling them, especially with liquids;
[0008] d) their generally thin-walled structures do not offer much possibilities in terms of etched, written or engraved indicia for raising their overall design and marketing appeal.
[0009] Against this background, there exist a need for a new and improved flexible container for preserving and processing edible food that avoids the aforementioned disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] In a broad aspect, the invention provides a container for containing food, the container comprising: a body, the body being substantially flexible, the body being substantially self-supporting when empty, the body defining a food- containing portion, the food-containing portion defining a food-containing portion base wall and a food-containing portion peripheral wall extending from the food- containing portion base wall, the food-containing portion peripheral wall defining a peripheral wall tapered section located substantially opposed to the food-
containing portion base wall, the peripheral wall tapered section tapering in a direction leading substantially away from the food-containing portion base wall; a collar portion extending from the body peripheral wall substantially opposed to the body base wall, the collar portion defining a passageway leading into the food- containing portion; and a funnel portion extending from the collar portion, the funnel portion being tapered in a direction leading substantially toward the collar portion.
[0011] In another broad aspect, the invention provides a container for containing food, the container comprising a body, the body being substantially flexible, the body being substantially self-supporting when empty, the body being deformable between an open configuration in which the food is insertable into the body and a closed configuration in which the container defines an enclosure for substantially sealingly containing the food thereinto. In the open configuration, the body defines a food-containing portion, the food-containing portion defining a food-containing portion base wall and a food-containing portion peripheral wall extending from the food-containing portion base wall, the food-containing portion peripheral wall defining a peripheral wall tapered section located substantially opposed to the food-containing portion base wall, the peripheral wall tapered section tapering in a direction leading substantially away from the food-containing portion base wall; a collar portion extending from the body peripheral wall substantially opposed to the body base wall, the collar portion defining a passageway leading into the food- containing portion; and a funnel portion extending from the collar portion, the funnel portion being tapered in a direction leading substantially toward the collar portion. In the closed configuration, the collar portion is deformed so as to substantially seal the food-containing portion.
[0012] In some embodiments of the invention, the collar portion is equipped with a
built-in lock in the form of a collar tying means. The proposed container is preferably manufactured as a single piece element made of a flexible and resiliently stretchable material such as, for example, an oven safe silicone material approved for preserving and processing edible food. The mode of usage of the flexible container generally consists in filling the container with food, manually compressing or twisting the collar portion of the body in a closed configuration and applying the built-in collar tying means to the tightened collar portion.
[0013] The funnel portion typically includes a substantially flat and vertical side surface occupying a peripheral portion of the funnel portion for conveniently allowing a user to easily fill-up the proposed container with a liquid, as well as pouring out its liquid content.
[0014] Some advantages of the present invention reside in that the present invention is a reclosable flexible container for preserving and processing edible food:
[0015] a) which can be used for storing, cooking or freezing edible food;
[0016] b) which is typically malleable enough to be fully reversible inside-out and, thus, is easier to thoroughly wash and quickly dry for reuse;
[0017] c) which is convenient and relatively easy to manipulate during filling and pouring operations;
[0018] d) which offers a wide range possibilities in terms of design and marketing indicia on its outer surface, as well as through its general size and shape; and
[0019] e) which is simple in construction and relatively economical to produce.
[0020] Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of one embodiment of a container according to the present invention, the container being shown in an open configuration;
[0022] FIG. 2 is a partial side elevation partially cut-out view of an alternative embodiment of the flexible container in FIG. 1 , the container being shown in the open configuration;
[0023] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the flexible container shown in FIG. 2, the container being shown in the open configuration;
[0024] FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the container shown in FIG. 2, the container being shown in the closed configuration; and
[0025] FIG. 5 is partial cross-sectional view of a lock included in the container shown in Fig. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] FIG. 1 shows various aspects of a first embodiment of a container 10
according to the present invention. The container 10 includes a body 11 , the body 11 being substantially flexible. The body 11 is self-supporting when empty and is deformable between an open configuration in which food is insertable into the body 11 , as seen in Fig. 1 for the container 10 and in Figs. 2 and 3 for an alternative container 10', and a closed configuration in which the container 10 defines an enclosure for substantially sealingly containing the food thereinto, as shown for the container 10' in Fig. 4.
[0027] Referring to Fig. 1 , the body 11 defines a food-containing portion 12, a collar portion 14 and a funnel portion 18. The food-containing portion 12 defines a food-containing portion base wall 20 and a food-containing portion peripheral wall 22 extending from the food-containing portion base wall 20. The food-containing portion peripheral wall 22 defines a peripheral wall tapered section 24 located substantially opposed to the food-containing portion base wall 20, the peripheral wall tapered section 24 tapering in a direction leading substantially away from the food-containing portion base wall 20.
[0028] The food-containing portion 12 is for example substantially ball-shaped. For example, the general outer diametrical dimension of food-containing portion 12 can be roughly equivalent the a mid-sized kitchen bowl. But it is to be understood that food-containing portion 12 can have any other suitable size and shape, with or without markings, such as, for example, an elongated cylindrical shape similar to the main body of a wine bottle, a smooth surfaced tear-drop shape having a relatively narrow collar portion, a low profile, wide-mouthed elliptical shape, and the like.
[0029] In some embodiments of the invention, the food-containing portion base
wall 20 has a substantially planar configuration, which allows an intended user to position the container 10 stably on a table, counter top or other suitable surface for filling and storage.
[0030] The collar portion 14 extends from the food-containing portion peripheral wall 22 substantially opposed to the food-containing portion base wall 20. Typically, the collar portion 14 extends from the peripheral wall tapered section 24. However, in alternative embodiments of the invention, the tapered section 24 is spaced apart from the collar portion 14. When the body 11 is in the open configuration, the collar portion 14 defines a passageway 25 (seen for example in Figs. 2 and 3) leading into the food-containing portion 12. When the body 11 is in the closed configuration, the collar portion 14 is deformed so as to substantially seal the food-containing portion 12.
[0031] The collar portion 14 has a comparatively smaller diametrical dimension relative to the outer diametrical dimension of the food-containing portion 12 and the funnel portion 18. Furthermore, the collar portion 14 typically represents a thinner, more malleable portion compared to the rest of the body 11 such that it can be easily compressed or twisted by hand into the closed configuration. Moreover, typically, the collar portion 14 can be stretched to a diametrical dimension that is nearly equivalent to the outer dimension of food-containing portion 12.
[0032] The funnel portion 18 extends from the collar portion 14. The funnel portion 18 is tapered in a direction leading substantially toward the collar portion 14. Therefore, the collar portion 14 defines a neck extending between the funnel portion 18 and the food-containing portion 12.
[0033] In some embodiments of the invention, the container 10 includes a lock 16 for selectively locking the body 11 in the closed configuration. For example, the lock 16 includes elements that extend integrally as a single piece of material from the collar portion 14. The lock 16 is described in further details hereinbelow.
[0034] Typically, the container 10 is manufactured as a single piece element using any suitable manufacturing process such as, for example, injection molding, and is entirely made of a flexible and resiliently stretchable material such as, for example, a silicone material approved for containing, preserving and processing edible foods and liquids. Such silicone material is generally oven and microwave safe for cooking food up to at least 500 0 F (260 0 C). Furthermore, the general thickness and resiliency of the material renders the container 10 with sufficient strength to preserve a generally upright attitude when laying empty on a substantially horizontal surface, as well as with sufficient suppleness to be manually reversible inside-out for proper washing and fast drying. These properties, in combination with the shape of the proposed container 10, create a container 10 which is relatively easily filled with solid and liquid food, reusable and relatively easy to maintain.
[0035] In some embodiments of the invention, the food-containing portion 12 is provided with engraved markings 26, for example in the food-containing portion peripheral wall 22. The engraved markings 26 enhance the flexibility of the food- containing portion 12 while maintaining the self-supporting nature of the food- containing portion 12. In addition, the engraved markings 26 improve the grip that an intended user can exert on the container 10. Typically, the engraved markings 26 take the form of a grid of grooves covering a substantially annular segment of the food-containing portion 12, but other configurations are within the scope of the invention.
[0036] One embodiment of the lock 16 is described with reference to Fig. 1. In this embodiment, a laterally projecting tying string 34 and an anchor tongue 36 are configured and sized to selectively engage each other to lock the body 11 in the closed configuration. Typically the anchor tongue 36 and the tying string 34 each extend integrally as a single piece of material from the collar portion 14. The tying string 14 is substantially elongated and substantially longitudinally resiliently stretchable. The tying string 34 defines at least two longitudinally spaced apart retaining beads 42 and a free distal end 38 located substantially opposed to the collar portion 14. The anchor tongue 36 defines at least one, and typically two or more apertures 40. The aperture 40 are substantially resiliently deformable between an undeformed configuration and a deformed configuration. In the undeformed configuration, the retaining beads 42 are substantially prevented from passing through the apertures 40. In the deformed configuration, the apertures 40 allow the retaining beads 42 to pass therethrough.
[0037] In this embodiment, the manner in which the tying string 34 and anchor tongue 36 are used in operative relation with the flexible collar portion 14 consists simply in, first, tightening and holding the collar portion 14 with one hand. Secondly, with the other hand, the tying string 34 is wrapped around on one side of the tightened collar portion 14, followed with the free distal end 38 of the tying string 34 being threaded through one or both apertures 40 provided in the anchor tongue 36, as illustrated in Fig. 5. The retaining beads 42 distributed along the tying string 34 help adjust the tension of the latter around collar portion 14, an appreciable aspect that is particularly useful when a relatively small opening through collar portion 14 is required to let steam escape from the container 10 during cooking.
[0038] In alternative embodiments of the invention, as seen in Fig. 2, for example,
the lock 16' includes a tying loop 44 which is typically made of the same flexible and resiliently stretchable material as the rest of container 10. The tying loop 44 defines two substantially opposed tying loop end sections 46 and 48, the tying loop end sections 46 and 48 each extending from the collar portion 14. The tying loop 44 is appropriately shaped and dimensioned such that it is relatively easy for a user to manually stretch and pull back the latter over the funnel portion 18 such that it ends up wrapped around a tightened collar portion 14.
[0039] An alternate approach of using tying loop 44 is to twist the latter at least 180 degrees before pulling it back over the funnel portion 18, thus providing a more complete tightening around collar portion 14. The stretchability properties of tying loop 44, in operative relation with the relative suppleness of collar portion 14, is such that it is strong enough to hermetically hold and seal a fully compressed or closed collar portion 14, yet stretchable enough to be wrapped around a fully stretched open collar portion 14 due to, for example, an oversized solid content (not shown in the drawings) slightly protruding the upper open end of food- containing portion 12.
[0040] Funnel portion 18 has substantially planar side section 28 defining a pair of substantially opposed planar section side edges 30 and 32 occupying a peripheral portion of the funnel portion 18 for conveniently allowing an intended user to pour food into the food-containing portion 12. The funnel portion 18 also typically has an arcuate portion 29 extending between the planar section side edges 30 and 32 and completing the generally funnel-shaped configuration of the funnel portion 18.
[0041] Planar side section 28 also helps the intended user to pour, for example, a liquid content out of the container 10 by manually pressing with two or more
fingers on each planar section side edges 30 and 32, thus forming an outwardly protruding V-shaped spout for conveniently directing the outflow of the liquid. To that effect, to facilitate formation of the spout, in some embodiments of the invention, the planar side section 28 is provided with a substantially longitudinally extending and outwardly facing planar section folding groove 50 extending substantially midway between the planar section side edges 30 and 32. Also, in some embodiments of the invention, the collar portion 14 is provided with a pair of inwardly facing spout forming grooves 52 and 54 each provided substantially adjacent to one of the planar section side edges 30 and 32 and extending substantially along at least a portion thereof.
[0042] Although the present invention has been described hereinabove by way of preferred embodiments thereof, it can be modified, without departing from the spirit and nature of the subject invention as defined in the appended claims.
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