GB2302532A - Food package - Google Patents

Abstract

A food package comprises a container portion or body part of plastics providing a plurality of compartments 12, 14, 16 terminating at their upper edges in a common planar surround, and a substantially planar closure of foil applied to the upper surface of said planar surround. Compartment 12 contains, for example, jam. One compartment 16, contains an eating implement, such as a spoon.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Title: "Food Package" THIS INVENTION relates to a food package and, in particular, a food package containing a food which is ready to consume, such as yoghurt, a pre-prepared dessert or a savoury dish.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved food package which is, in at least one respect, more convenient to use than existing food packages.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a food package incorporating an eating implement.

According to a preferred embodiment there is provided a food package comprising a body part providing respective compartments containing a foodstuff or foodstuffs and an eating implement and a lid part covering said compartments.

Embodiments of the invention are described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 are respectively a schematic plan view, a side view and an end view of a first food package embodying the invention, FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 are views, corresponding to Figures 1, 2 and 3, of a second food package embodying the invention, and FIGURES 7 to 16 are views, similar to Figure 1, of respective other embodiments of the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, there is illustrated the lower part of a package for containing, separately, a quantity of yoghurt and a quantity of jam or of some other flavouring. The portion of the package shown is moulded in plastics material and is so configured as to provide compartments 12, 14 and 16 each comprising a base and a side wall extending upwardly from the base. The side walls of all three compartments terminate at their upper edges in a common planar surround portion 18 which defines the uppermost limit of the container portion. In packaging of portions of yoghurt with respective portions of jam or other flavouring, container portions of the form shown in Figures 1 to 3 are conveyed past respective dispensers which respectively dispense measured quantities of yoghurt into compartment 12, and measured portions of jam into compartment 14.Subsequently, a substantially planar closure or lid, for example in the form of a sheet of aluminium foil, is adhesively bonded across the upper surface of the surround portion 18 so that each compartment 12, 14 is sealed off with respect to the outside and with respect to the other compartment, in manner known per se.

In manner known per se, a corner portion 20 of the planar surround portion 18 of the lower container part is delimited by a score or crease 22 formed in the surround portion 18, whereby the corner region 20 can be broken off from the remainder of portion 18 simply by bending it upwards, together with the portion of the lid or cover bonded thereto and can be pulled across the top of the package to peel off the lid or cover.

A primary difference between the food container illustrated and conventional food containers of the same general type lies in the provision of the additional compartment 16 and in the fact that, during the food packaging process described, an eating implement, such as a spoon, is fitted into the compartment 16 prior to application of the lid and is thus sealed into the package, with the respective quantity of yoghurt and respective quantity of jam, when the lid is applied, the compartment 16 holding the spoon being, in this state, sealed off from the outside and from the compartments 12 and 14. Thus, the purchaser of the product, after removal of the lid, by peeling the latter off, is provided with a spoon in the compartment 16, which that person can use for transferring the jam or other flavouring in compartment 14 to compartment 12 and for eating the resulting mixture.

Figures 4 to 16 illustrate various configurations of containers with different configurations and relative positioning of compartments 12 and 14 relative to compartment 16 holding the spoon or other eating implement.

Whilst, in the embodiments of Figures 1 to 3 and 4 to 6, the compartment 16 is deep relative to its width with a view to accommodating a spoon disposed on its side, i.e.

with its bowl lying vertically, in the embodiments shown in Figures 10, 14 and 15, the cavity 16 is arranged to support a spoon disposed with its bowl substantially parallel with the plane of the portion 18 and the cavities 15 are therefore, in these embodiments, appropriately spoon-shaped as viewed in plan.

Figure 15 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention comprising an otherwise conventional frustoconical yoghurt pot, providing a corresponding single compartment 12 for yoghurt and having, as an extension of the planar upper rim, a portion 18 formed with a cavity 16 to receive a spoon as described in relation to the preceding figures, both the spoon and the yoghurt being sealed in their respective compartments by application of a planar lid of foil or the like over the portion 18 and over the top of the container. It will be noted that partcircular notches or cut-aways are provided in opposite edges of the portions 18. These provide space for guide rails commonly used in apparatus for fitting and sealing conventional yoghurt pots and thus assist in guidance of the pots of Figure 15.

Figure 16 illustrates a further variant in which the body portion has a generally triangular configuration as viewed in plan, affording a triangular compartment 14 adjacent one apex of the body portion, a trapezoidal compartment 12 adjacent the compartment 14 and, between the opposite edge of the surround portion 18 and the compartment 12, a substantially elongate compartment to receive the spoon. The spoons used, (not shown) are preferably inexpensive plastics spoons and may be of the folding type, known per se.

In further embodiments of the invention, not shown, the spoon or other implement may be moulded integrally with the body portion of the container and remain attached thereto until torn or broken off by the user when required.

In such embodiments, in the interests of hygiene it is desired that, in the finished package, the spoon or other implement should be surrounded by an impermeable barrier.

To this end, for example, the spoon or other implement may be formed as an extension of the surround portion 18 adjacent the compartment 16 and may be folded about a score line or groove forming an integral hinge, to lie in the compartment 16, before the lid is applied.

It will be appreciated that the compartments 12 may contain some food products other than yoghurt or jam, whether of a relatively fluid consistency or of a solid consistency. The compartments 16 may accommodate eating implements other than spoons or may accommodate several eating implements of different types, such as forks and knives. Furthermore, it is envisaged that additional compartments (not shown) may be provided to accommodate, for example, small toys, sweets or promotional items, such as miniature chocolate bars, chocolate drops, games or the like.

Claims (5)

1. A food package incorporating an eating implement and/or other item.

2. A food package comprising a body part providing respective compartments containing a foodstuff and an eating implement and a lid part covering said compartments.

3. A food package according to claim 2 wherein the body part comprises regions lying in a common plane and portions extending from said plane to define said compartments, and said lid is in the form of a substantially flat sheet sealingly secured to said regions lying in said common plane to seal off said compartments.

4. A food package comprising a body part and a lid part and wherein an eating implement is formed integrally with one of said parts so as to be readily detachable therefrom.

5. A food package substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in any of the accompanying drawings.

5. A food package substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in any of the accompanying drawings.

6. Any novel feature or combination of features described herein.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows CLAIMS 1. A food package comprising a body part providing respective compartments containing foodstuff and an eating implement and a lid covering said compartments, said body part comprising regions lying in a common plane and portions extending from said plane to define said compartments, and said lid being in the form of a substantially flat sheet sealingly secured to said regions lying in said common plane to seal off said compartments.

2. A food package according to Claim 1, including at least two foodstuff-containing compartments.

3. A food package according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the lid is in the form of a substantially flat sheet of aluminium foil.

4. A food package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body part is moulded from a plastics material.