Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a package particularly for ice cream or other frozen products.

Background of the Invention

There are two major problems with ice cream packaged in a conventional container: i) the ice cream only retains its desirable organoleptic qualities for a limited period of time after it has been removed from the freezer. This can be very inconvenient for a customer purchasing ice cream from the freezer of, for example, an out-of-town supermarket a long distance from home, particularly in hot weather, and

ii) there is often an unpleasant coldness sensation when the container containing the ice cream is held in the hands, e.g. in removing from the freezer at home and measuring out one or more portions for consumption.

An object of the present invention is to provide a package which alleviates one or both of these problems and it has been found that the use of a polystyrene container component can achieve this.

Summary of the Present Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a package consisting of a) a container component comprising a base and a side wall extending from the perimeter of the base to form the cavity of the container component, and

b) a closing means removable manually and comprising a top side adapted to seal the cavity of the container component and a side wall extending from the perimeter of the top side and adapted to encircle the side wall of the container component. Detailed Description of the Invention

The side wall of the cavity of the container component may have substantially any two-dimensional cross-sectional shape, from simple geometric, e.g. square, square with rounded corners, rectangular, circular, oval, star-shaped, cruciform, triangular, polygonal, etc. to complex and intricate, for example heart-shape or leaf veins. A circular cross section is preferred to give a cylindrical container component.

The top side of the closing means has a cross- section corresponding to the cross section of the side wall of the container component. The side wall of the closing means has a two-dimensional cross-sectional shape corresponding to the side wall of the container component but sufficiently large to allow it to encircle the side wall of the container component advantageously in a close fit, thus enabling the closing means to be slidably removed by hand from the container component or to be replaced. The side wall of the closing means preferably encircles a major part of the length of the side wall of the container component.

The material of the container component may be expanded polystyrene, expanded polypropylene, injection moulded polystyrene, injection moulded polyethylene, injection moulded polypropylene, aluminium, tinplate or steel. Expanded polystyrene or polypropylene or any other expanded plastic material have very good thermal insulation properties, and are thus preferred. Expanded polystyrene is particularly preferred due to the fact that it is food-grade. However, any material having similar properties can be used.

The closing means is conveniently made of solid board, corrugated board, moulded cellulose pulp, injection moulded moulded polystyrene, injection moulded

polypropylene or injection moulded polyethylene. In one embodiment of the invention, the package may comprise an injection moulded polystyrene container component which is sealed with a membrane to close the cavity, and covered by the closing means. In this embodiment, ice-cream may be directly dosed inside the injection moulded polystyrene container component which is then sealed with the membrane and then covered by the closing means. In a second embodiment of the invention, the package may comprise an expanded polystyrene container component in which an additional thermoformed plastics container is inserted and sealed. The additional thermoformed plastics container may be made of polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate. The additional thermoformed plastics container is sealed on its rim by a membrane to close the opening and then placed and inserted inside the cavity of the expanded polystyrene container component. In this embodiment, the ice-cream is dosed inside the thermoformed plastics container, which is then sealed by a membrane. The closing means is fitted on the expanded polystyrene container component. In both embodiments of the present invention, the membrane may be made of one or several materials such as polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, aluminium, EVOH or paper. The membrane is advantageously tamper-proof.

Advantageously, a handgrip may be fixed to the top side of the closing means as an aid for lifting the closing means and to ease of carrying the package . The handgrip is advantageously a ribbon which may be of any desired colour. The ribbon may be made of silk, plastic, rope, paper laminate, or natural or synthetic fibres. The ribbon may be attached to the top side of the closing means either with glue, with an adhesive sticker or simply mechanically with the help of a knot through a hole inside the top side.

The package of the present invention may be of a size conventionally used for ice cream and may have a volume sufficient to contain from 250 ml to 5 litres. The polystyrene container component provides insulation and preferably has a sufficient degree of rigidity to protect the ice-cream product after filling, during storage and in the shops, and to make the product handling easier during product consumption.

The closing means, especially when made of solid board, provides a natural appearance and can be printed at 360° which gives a communication advantage.

When compared to a conventional package, the package according to the present invention may enable the ice cream to retain its desirable organoleptic qualities for a longer period of time after it has been removed from the freezer and also may alleviate any unpleasant coldness sensation when the container containing the ice cream is held in the hands.

The present invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a closing means,

Figure 2 represents a perspective view of a container component made of an injection moulded polystyrene,

Figure 3 represents a perspective view of a container component made of an expanded polystyrene container component in which an additional thermoformed plastics container is inserted, Figure 4 represents a perspective view of a closed package consisting of the container component of Figure 2 and the closing means,

Figure 5 represents a perspective view of a closed package consisting of the container component of Figure 3 and the closing means, and Figure 6 represents the manual opening of a package according to the invention containing ice cream.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a closing means generally designated 10 having a top side 11, side wall 12 and a ribbon 13.

Figure 2 represents a container component made of an injection moulded polystyrene generally designated 14 comprising a base 15 and a side wall 16. The container component may be sealed by a tamper-proof membrane (not shown).

Figure 3 represents a container component generally designated 17 comprising a base 18 and a side wall 19 made of an expanded polystyrene 20 and a thermoformed plastics container 21 inserted therein. The container component may be sealed by a tamper-proof membrane (not shown).

Figure 4 represents a closed package generally designated 22 consisting of the container component 14 of Figure 2 the major part of the side wall 16 being encircled by the closing means 10 having a top side 11, side wall 12 and a ribbon 13. Figure 5 represents a closed package generally designated 23 consisting of the container component 17 of Figure 3 the major part of the side wall 19 being encircled by the closing means 10 having a top side 11, side wall 12 and a ribbon 13.

Figure 6 illustrates the manual opening of a package generally designated 23 containing ice cream in which the ribbon 13 is grasped by the hand to slide the closing means 10 off the container component 17 to expose the ice cream 24.