Background of the Invention
[0001] This invention relates generally to disposable food packaging, and more particularly
to a formed plastic container having more than one compartment.
[0002] Disposable food packaging which allows consumers to transport, open and eat a food
product at any desired location and then readily dispose of the food packaging has
become more popular in recent years. Such packaging must be easy to open and must
be capable of economical manufacture for mass production.
[0003] A known package which has been widely used for consumer sale of two-item snacks such
as cheese and crackers comprises a two-compartment tray for storing a cheese product
or other soft or spreadable product in one compartment, and crackers, breadsticks
or the like in the other compartment. Typically, the tray is formed, filled and sealed
in an in-line process wherein the tray is formed by a thermoforming or vacuum forming
operation. The two products are placed in their respective compartments and a thin
film of flexible plastic material is peelably sealed over the top of the tray to hermetically
seal the product. A flat spreading implement may also be included inside.
[0004] There is a continuing need for improved quality, manufacturing flexibility, and cost-efficiency
in connection with packaging of the type generally described above.
Summary of the Invention
[0005] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a package comprising
an indentationally compartmentalized tray having at least two compartments formed
therein, for containing at least two different food products, wherein one of the food
products is sealed in a plastic cup disposed within a first one of the compartments
in the tray, and the other food product is disposed in a second compartment in the
tray. The invention further comprises a method for forming, filling and sealing the
package wherein the plastic cup may be formed, filled and sealed at a location and
time remote from the location and time of its insertion into a compartment of the
tray. The plastic cup is peelably sealed by a first thin film or membrane of flexible
plastic, and the tray is also preferably peelably sealed by a second thin film or
membrane of flexible plastic extending across at least the second compartment.
[0006] In the preferred embodiment, the second plastic film extends across both compartments,
co-bonding with the film over the cup. This permits both compartments to be opened
by a single manual peeling operation.
[0007] In the preferred embodiment, the food products are, respectively, a spreadable first
product such as a cheese spread or peanut butter contained in the first compartment,
and a bread product such as bread sticks, crackers, or the like contained in the second
compartment.
[0008] In the past, two-product packaging of the type described above has required that
the two products be kept on-hand in bulk at the location where the package is formed,
filled and sealed, and that the bulk products be dispensed and sealed nearly simultaneously
into the packaging. The method of the invention permits the tray to be formed, filled
and sealed at a time and location remote from when the cup was formed, filled and
sealed. This permits savings through greater plant specification in that the plant
in which the filling and sealing of the first compartment takes place need not have
the capability of handling bulk quantities of the second product, and the plant in
which filling and sealing of the second compartment takes place need not have the
capability of handling bulk quantities of the first product. The method also increases
manufacturing flexibility, since a variety of products could be filled into cups at
alternate locations and still be assembled at a central location without the need
for additional filling or production equipment at the assembly location. The method
may enable more rapid filling of orders since the rate of production may be increased
by maintaining an inventory of pre-filled cups on hand.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0009] FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a package in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tray shown in FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a side view of the tray shown in FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the tray shown in FIG. 1.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cup shown in FIG. 1.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a web of film used for covering and sealing the trays
in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the package shown in FIG. 1.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
[0016] The invention is preferably embodied in a two-compartment package and in a method
of forming, filling and sealing the package. The package includes an indentationally
compartmentalized tray 10, having first and second generally rectangular compartments
12 and 14 formed therein. A generally rectangular cup 30 is attached within the smaller
compartment 12 and is covered and sealed by a film or membrane 22. The tray 10 is
similarly covered and sealed by a film or membrane 32.
[0017] The compartmentalized tray 10 may be made of a plastic material such as polyester
or PVC. The larger recessed compartment 14 may be filled with a bread product, such
as bread sticks or crackers. The bottom surface 40 of the bread product compartment
14 may have a raised, rib-like structure 20 to add rigidity to the bottom surface
40, to inhibit breakage of the bread product 36 and to facilitate manual removal of
the bread product 36 from the bread product compartment 14.
[0018] The smaller recessed compartment 12 may contain a spreadable product such as a cheese
spread or peanut butter. In accordance with the invention, the product contained in
the compartment 12, rather than being in direct contact with the inner surface of
the compartment 12, is disposed within a generally rectangular cup 30 which is made
of a plastic material and which is secured within the compartment 12. The cup 30 is
preferably hot-filled for microstability and to enhance freshness, and is covered
and sealed along its lip 34 with a cup sealing membrane 22, hermetically sealing the
spreadable product 38 in the cup 30. If required for shelf life purposes, the compartments
may be gas-flushed. In the preferred embodiment, the membrane 22 is made of polypropylene
and polyester for structural stability and tear resistance. The spreadable product
cup 30 is secured in place in the compartment 12 by ultrasonic welding 44 of the respective
lips 34 and 28 to one another such that the lip 34 becomes flush with, or is slightly
above, but not below, the height of the tray lip 28.
[0019] The two compartments 12, 14 are generally of the same width and depth, adjacently
oriented in the tray 10 with the larger compartment elongated to accommodate a food
product such as crackers or breadsticks. The tray 10 has a lip 28 along its periphery
and the spreadable product cup 30 has a lip 34 along its periphery which rests on
the tray lip 28 when the cup is inserted into the spreadable product compartment 12.
[0020] To effectuate hermetic sealing of the bread product 36, a plastic tray-sealing membrane
32 is sealed along the lip 28 of the plastic tray 10. Where the tray-sealing membrane
overlies the previously sealed cup-sealing membrane, the heat and pressure causes
the membranes to bond. This permits both the bread product compartment 14 and the
spreadable product compartment 12 to be opened by a single manual peeling operation,
i.e., gripping of a corner or other portion of the tray-sealing membrane 32 and lifting
it away from the tray 10.
[0021] The tray 10 has one perforated corner 18 which facilitates manually disjoining the
corner 18 from the rest of the tray 10, by holding the corner 18 between the thumb
and index finger and pulling upward, peeling the heat-sealed membrane 32 from the
lip 28 of the tray 10.
[0022] The method of filling and sealing the package comprises two separate in-line operations
which may be performed at times and locations remote from one another. The first operation
comprises forming the cup 30, preferably by vacuum forming or thermoforming, then
dispensing the spreadable food product 38 into the cup 30, and heat-sealing the cup-sealing
membrane 22 to the lip 34 of the cup 30. The formed, filled and sealed cups may then
be transported to a separate facility for incorporation into the tray 10.
[0023] In the second in-line operation, the compartmentalized tray 10 is independently vacuum
thermoformed. The product-filled cup 30 is then inserted into the recessed spreadable
product compartment 12 of the tray 10 and ultrasonically welded to the tray 10. The
bread product 36 and a spreading implement 42 are dispensed into the recessed bread
product compartment 14. The tray-sealing membrane 32 is placed over the tray and heat-sealed
first to the cup film 22 and then to the lip 28, including the area between the compartments
12 and 14.
[0024] For economy and efficiency, the packages are preferably formed, filled and sealed
in rows, whereby multiple packages in each single row are simultaneously formed, then
filled, then sealed. A web 24 of film or membrane material having labels pre-printed
thereon, as shown in FIG. 6, is preferably employed for covering and sealing the trays.
The web 24 illustrated in FIG. 6 is intended for use in connection with six-across
rows of trays. It will be appreciated that rows of greater or smaller numbers of trays
may be employed in alternative embodiments.
[0025] For economy and efficiency, the packages are preferably formed, filled and sealed
in rows. When the trays 10 are formed and filled, they are connected along their longitudinal
side edges 46 as well as along their transverse end edges 48. After filling, the sealing
membrane is sealed over each row while the packages remain connected. After the packages
have been sealed, perforations are then formed through the trays 10 and the membranes
26 between the first and second, between the third and fourth, and between the fifth
and sixth trays in the row. Knife cuts are formed to separate the packages between
the second and third trays and between the fourth and fifth trays in each row. Each
row is then severed from the succeeding row, and the row of six is cut into three
pairs of packages, each pair having perforations 16 to facilitate detachment of the
two packages in each pair from one another.
[0026] The invention eliminates the need for maintaining bulk quantities of two separate
products on hand at a single location by enabling the tray to be filled and sealed
at a time and location remote from the time and location at which the cup was filled
and sealed. This permits savings through greater plant specification. Second, the
method may enable more rapid filling of orders since the rate of production may be
increased by having pre-filled cups.
[0027] The invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment described above and shown
in the drawings. Other embodiments might include different arrangements of the compartmentalized
tray or alternate food products, for example. The invention is described with greater
particularity by the following claims.
1. A package comprising:
an indentationally compartmentalized tray (10) having a first recessed compartment
(12) and a second recessed compartment (14);
a cup (30) attached to said tray (10) in said first recessed compartment (12),
said cup (30) being filled with a quantity of a first food product (38);
a first flexible sealing membrane (22) attached to the perimeter of said cup (30),
sealing said first food product (38) in said cup (30);
a quantity of a second food product (36) in said second recessed compartment (14)
of said tray (10); and
a second flexible sealing membrane (32) peelably attached to the perimeter of said
second recessed compartment (14), sealing said second food product (36) in said second
recessed compartment (14).
2. A package in accordance with claim 1 wherein said second flexible sealing membrane
(32) is peelably attached to the perimeter of said tray (10), sealing all of said
recessed compartments (12,14).
3. A package according to claim 2, wherein said second flexible sealing membrane (32)
adheres to said first flexible sealing membrane (22) such that peelably removing said
second membrane (32) will also remove said first membrane (22) from said cup (10).
4. A package according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said tray (10) has exactly two
recessed compartments (12,14).
5. A package according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said second flexible sealing
membrane (32) is attached by heat-sealing.
6. A package according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said second flexible sealing
membrane (32) is attached to form a hermetic seal.
7. A package according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said cup (30) is filled and
sealed at a location and time remote from the location and time of its insertion into
said first recessed compartment (12).
8. A package according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said first food product (38)
is a spreadable product and said second food product (36) is a bread product.
9. A package according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said cup (30) is ultrasonically
welded to said tray (10) in said first recessed compartment (12).
10. An assembly of packages comprising a first package according to any one of claims
1 to 9 and a second package according to any one of claims 1 to 9 perforatedly attached
to said first package.
11. A method of packaging food products (36,38) comprising the steps of:
placing a quantity of a first food product (38) in a cup (30);
placing a first flexible sealing membrane (22) over said cup (30) and sealing said
membrane (22) about the perimeter of said cup (30);
forming an indentationally compartmentalized tray (10) having first and second
recessed compartments (12,14);
placing said cup (30) in said first recessed compartment (12) and affixing said
cup (30) therein;
placing a quantity of a second food product (36) in said second recessed compartment
(14) of said tray (10);
placing a second flexible sealing membrane (32) over said second recessed compartment
(14) and sealing said membrane (32) along the perimeter of said second recessed compartment
(14).
12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said second flexible sealing membrane (32)
is peelably attached to the perimeter of said tray (10), sealing all of said recessed
compartments (12,14).
13. A method according to claim 11 or claim 12 wherein said second flexible sealing membrane
(32) adheres to said first flexible sealing membrane (22) such that peelably removing
said second membrane (32) will also remove said first membrane (22) from said cup
(30).
14. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein said tray (10) has exactly
two recessed compartments (12,14).
15. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein said second flexible sealing
membrane (32) is attached by heat-sealing.
16. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein said second flexible sealing
membrane (32) is attached to form a hermetic seal.
17. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein said cup (30) is filled
and sealed at a location and time remote from the location and time of its insertion
into said first recessed compartment (12).
18. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein said first food product
(38) is a spreadable product and said second food product (36) is a bread product.
19. A method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein said cup (30) is ultrasonically
welded to said tray (10) to maintain it in said first recessed compartment (12).