The present disclosure generally relates to storage bags and containers and, more particularly, relates to durable food storage bags adapted to withstand a temperature range extending from below the freezing point of water to above the boiling point of water.
Food storage bags and containers are well known. Very common examples include bowls and casserole dishes into which the food can be loaded and closed using a secondary layer such as aluminum foil or plastic wrap. While effective, such an approach necessarily occupies the bowl for an extended period of time, and requires cleaning when done.
Over time, more disposable approaches have been developed including well known reclosable and flexible food storage bags such as those marketed by the assignee under its trademark “ZIP-LOC®”. With such an approach, a plastic bag typically made of polyethylene is formed from first and second sides which are hot welded across left, right, and bottom edges leaving an open top edge which can be opened and closed using a pair of interlocking grooves. Such grooves can be locked simply by pinching them together using the thumb and forefinger, or by sliding a mechanical wedge thereacross. While such bags have been met with extraordinary commercial success from their inception until the current day, the assignee has identified a current need in the marketplace for an improved food storage disposable bag which is able to better withstand the extreme temperature range experienced in everyday kitchen applications. Specifically, it would be desirable for such a bag to easily transition from the temperature experienced in a freezer to that experienced while cooking in an oven. As identified herein, that temperature range extends from below the freezing point of water to above the boiling point of water, and more specifically, from at least minus 20° F. to at least plus 450° F.
An even more recent development in the marketplace has been the steadily escalating price of petroleum products from which many plastics and other polymers are derived. In addition, environmental interests have recently dictated that alternative materials be sourced for manufacturing such bags. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved food storage bag addressing such needs.
In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a reclosable food storage bag able to withstand temperatures from below the freezing point of water to above the boiling point of water is disclosed comprising a bottom wall, a side wall, and a closure mechanism. The side wall extends upwardly from the bottom wall and meets the side wall at a joint. An interior surface of the joint is arcuate with the side wall terminating at an end opposite the bottom wall at a top opening. The closure mechanism is mounted to the top opening. The bottom wall, side wall, and closure mechanism are all manufactured from silicone rubber.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a flexible and reclosable food storage bag able to withstand a temperature range from below the freezing point of water to above the boiling point of water is disclosed and comprises a bottom wall, a side wall, and a closure mechanism. The side wall extends upwardly from the bottom wall and meets the side wall at a joint. An interior surface of the joint is arcuate. This side wall terminates at an end opposite the bottom wall at a top opening. The closure mechanism is mounted to the top opening.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a flexible and reclosable food storage bag able to maintain structural integrity across a temperature range of at least as low as negative 20° F. to at least as high as positive 450° F. is disclosed. The food storage bag has interior surfaces with curve and tangent continuity of at least one-half inch.
These and other aspects and features of the disclosure will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
a-c are perspective views of an alternative embodiment of the disclosure with a sealing lid; and
a-c are top views of the embodiments of
a-c are sectional views of the embodiments of
While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
Referring now to the drawings and with specific reference to
As shown in combination with
With specific reference to
With respect to the material from which the bag is manufactured, it is intended for the bag 20 to be serviceable across the range of typical temperatures encountered in residential kitchens. For example, the bag 20 needs to be able to maintain its structural rigidity whether it is in a freezer, an oven, or any ambient temperature therebetween. Quantifying this temperature range, the bag 20 needs to be able to maintain its structural rigidity across a range of temperatures of at least below the freezing point of water and above the boiling point of water, and preferably from a range of at least minus 20° F. to at least plus 450° F.
In order to accommodate such a temperature range, the inventors have identified materials such as silicone rubber as a viable source for manufacturing the flexible bag. If needed in order to make the flexible bag of silicone rubber more rigid, thermoset resins may be used in conjunction with the silicone rubber. Suitable thermoset resins include, but are not limited to, melamine and phenolin. Not only the bag, but the closure mechanism as well, could be manufactured from some combination of such materials.
The bag 20 may also be provided with reinforcement members 56 to provide the bag with the ability to stay open to facilitate filling and the like. The reinforcement members 56 may be embedded directly in the side wall 24 or bottom wall 22 of the bag 20 as shown in
Referring now to
From the foregoing, it can be seen that the teachings of the disclosure can be used to manufacture a usable, reclosable, and flexible food storage bag which is able to withstand a wide temperature range while at the same time being manufactured from materials which are more environmentally sound than polymer materials currently on the market.