GROUP OF POTS FOR FOOD PRODUCTS

Abstract

The invention relates to a group of at least two pots (2) for food products (14) forming a pack, said pots being divisible from each other, characterized in that: each of the pots has an upper rim (3) surrounding an opening (4); and when the pots are grouped in the pack, the pack being placed on a reference plane, the upper rims of the pots of the pack are located in the same plane parallel to said reference plane; and when one of the pots (2) is detached from the pack for consumption, the pot being placed on a reference plane (10), the upper rim of the pot is located in a plane (11) inclined relative to said reference plane (10).

Description

The subject of the present invention is a packaging for food products.

More precisely, the present invention relates to a group of pots for food products forming a pack, the pots being divisible from each other.

Various groups of pots packaged in divisible packs are known from the prior art. In practice, when a pot is detached from the group and put on a plane horizontal surface for consumption the upper rims of the pot surrounding the upper opening of the pot are oriented in an approximately horizontal manner. The upper rims are therefore not optimally oriented towards the user when the pot is put on a horizontal consumption surface. The presentation of the food product before and during consumption, along with the ergonomics during consumption are disadvantaged. In practice, the use must often tilt the pot during consumption, in particular in order to see and consume the food when reaching the end of the pot.

Starting with this observation, the present invention aims to improve the presentation of the food product in the pot before and during consumption while allowing the use of existing machines for filling, searing and packaging for groups of pots forming a divisible pack.

To this end, the invention proposes a group of at least two pots for food products forming a pack, said pots being divisible from each other, in which:

each of the pots has an upper rim surrounding an opening; and

when the pots are grouped in the pack, the pack being placed on a reference plane, the upper rims of the pots of the pack are located in the same plane parallel to said reference plane; and

when one of the pots is detached from the pack for consumption, the pot being placed on a reference plane, the upper rim of the pot is located in a plane inclined relative to said reference plane.

Advantageously, a group according to the invention makes it possible to improve the presentation of the food product in the pot before and during consumption as the pot is toted. In this way, the upper rim of the pot is oriented towards the consumer. The ergonomics during consumption are also improved to the extent that the consumer no longer has to tilt the pot, in particular when reaching the end of the pot, the pot according to the invention being oriented towards the consumer during the act of consumption.

In addition, a group according to the invention is suitable for the use of existing filling, sealing and packaging machines for the groups of pots forming a divisible pack. Specifically, the group of pots forming a pack is designed to present an upper surface parallel to the surface on which it is placed, which allows the use of existing filling and sealing means, designed to operate with the upper rims of pots arranged in the same horizontal plane. For the same reasons, the existing means for packing packs of pots are advantageously able to be used with the pack of pots according to the present invention.

According to advantageous features of the invention, optionally combined:

the base of each pot has over all or part of its outer surface a plane through which the pot bears on the reference plane and which extends obliquely relative to the plane of the upper rim of the pot;

each of the pots of the group has a base approximately opposite the upper rim, said base having on its outer surface a flattening in a plane inclined relative to the plane of the upper rim of the pot;

the flattening is the outer surface of the base of the pot;

the group has at least one divisible tab between the upper rims of two pots defining an axis joining the, at least two, pots, and the flattening of each of the pots is D-shaped with the straight rim oriented so as to form an angle relative to the axis of the divisible tab of the pot in question;

each pot in the group of pots is filled so that the surface of the food product packaged is approximately parallel to the plane of the upper rim of the corresponding pot;

the food product packaged in the pots has a viscosity such that the surface of the product preserves a positioning parallel to the upper rim of the pot for at least 30 seconds, preferably at least 60 seconds, and in a particularly preferred manner for at least one hour after the pot has been detached from the pack and placed in the inclined position on a horizontal plane for consumption;

the viscosity is chosen so as to be between 500 cP and 10 000 cP on dosing, and between 10 000 cP and 50 000 cP, preferably between 15 000 cP and 20 000 cP at consumption;

the food product packaged in the pots is a fermented or unfermented, stirred or set yoghurt, fruit mousse or vegetable purée, fromage frais, cream, a product based on milk of an animal origin or soya milk, a cereal-based preparation, ice cream or a composite food product combining two or more of the aforementioned products and optionally including a gel-type preparation or an oven-baked preparation, such as a biscuit, pieces of fruit or one or more fruit or chocolate based crunchy layers;

the base has an inclined plane of polygonal, circular or elliptical outline over the whole of its outer surface;

the pots each have a ledge designed for the application of a protective film for sealing the pot on the inside wall of the pot between its upper rim and its base, the plane of said ledge being parallel to the oblique plane of the base of the pot;

the pots are made of a transparent material;

the pots are sealed using a lid made of a transparent material.

These provisions advantageously make it possible to improve the presentation of the food product in the pot before opening and during consumption.

According to another aspect, the invention proposes a method for filling a group of pots such as described above in which, during filling, the pots of the group forming a pack are arranged in such a way that their upper rims are positioned in the same plane parallel to the horizontal, so that after filling the upper surface of the product packaged is approximately parallel to the plane of the upper rims of the pots of the group forming the pack. According to an advantageous feature, the pots of the group are closed using a transparent lid.

The exposition of the invention will now be continued through the detailed description of exemplary embodiments, provided below by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the appended drawings. In the latter:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a pot according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of four pots forming a pack according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the group of four pots from FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the group of four pots from FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top view of a group of two pots according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side view of another embodiment of a pot according to the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a side view of yet another embodiment of a pot according to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a pot 2 according to the invention. The pot has an upper rim 3 surrounding an opening 4 intended for the filling then the consumption of the food product contained in the pot. The upper rims of the pot support a lid 5 for closing the pot provided with a primer tab 6, known per se, for facilitating the removal of the lid for consumption.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, when the pot is placed on a reference plane 10 the upper rim 3 of the pot 2 is located in a plane 11 inclined relative to the reference plane 10. In this way, the upper rim of the pot surrounding its opening 4 is oriented towards the consumer. The pot 2 has a base 7 approximately opposite the upper rim 3. On its outer surface the base 7 has a flattening 8 in a plane inclined relative to the plane 11 of the upper rim of the pot. In the present embodiment, the pot has an overall shape of part of a sphere. According to an embodiment not shown, the pot has a cylindrical shape in which the outer surface of the base of the pot forms a flattening in a plane inclined relative to the plane of the upper rim of the pot.

FIGS. 2 and 3 represent a group 1 of pots 2 for food products according to the invention. Each of the pots has an upper rim 3 and a structure approximately identical to that of the pot of FIG. 1, with the exception that each of the pots is provided with a ledge 9 designed for the application of a lid 5. The ledge 9 is provided on the inside wall of the pot between its upper rim 3 and its base 7, the plane of said ledge being parallel to the plane of the upper rim 3 of the pot.

The group of pots 1 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 has divisible tabs 13 between the upper rims of the pots.

In the present embodiment, a group of four pots such as shown in FIG. 1 has two of the four tabs which are not immediate neighbours with a greater width than the two other tabs so as to locate there, in a manner known per se, the primers 6 for opening the lid 5 as represented in FIG. 2.

However, in an alternative embodiment, the tabs 13 are all identical.

Advantageously, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the pots are grouped in packs, since the packs are placed in a reference plane 10, the upper rims of the pack are located in the same plane 12 parallel to said reference plane 10. Thus, a group of this type is suitable for the use of existing filling, sealing and packaging machines for groups of pots forming a divisible pack, which are designed to operate with the upper rims of the pots positioned in the same horizontal plane 12.

During filling of the pots, the upper surface 14 of the food product 15 is parallel to the plane of the upper rim 3 or to the plane of the opening of the corresponding pot 2. The food product packaged in the pots has a viscosity such that the surface 14 of the product 15 preserves its position parallel to the upper rim 3 of the pot for at least 30 seconds, preferably at least 60 seconds, and in a particularly preferred manner at least one hour after the pot has been detached from the open pack by the consumer and placed in the inclined position on a plane 10 for consumption, as can be seen in greater detail in FIG. 1. To this end, the viscosity is chosen so as to be between 500 cP (1 cP=1×10⁻³ Pa·s) for a liquid (milk or liquid yoghurt, for example) and 1000 cP for a stirred yoghurt, on dosing, and between 10 000 and 50 000 cP, preferably between 15 000 and 20 000 cP at consumption (oblique position), i.e. in the pots on the manufacture/filling lines and “forming” in the pots, i.e. taking on their texture and their viscosity in the pots.

As can be seen in greater detail in FIG. 4, the flattenings 8 of the group of pots shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 have a round shape.

According to another embodiment, which can be seen in FIG. 5, a group of two pots according to the invention has a divisible tab 13 between the upper rims 3 of the two pots, thus defining an axis A-A joining the two pots. The straight edge 81 of the D-shaped flattenings 8 is oriented perpendicular to the axis A-A so that, when the pots are grouped in the pack of two pots, the pack being placed on a reference plane, the upper rims 3 of the pots remain parallel to the reference plane on which the pack is placed, When the pots are detached and placed on the reference plane on the D-shaped flattening 8, the upper rim of each of the pots is located in a plane inclined relative to the reference plane.

This embodiment of a D-shaped flattening 8 is suited in a particularly advantageous manner to a group of two or more pots, This is because these flattenings make it possible to obtain stability of the pack even when only two pots remain in the pack. In other words, when the pots of the pack are not all consumed at the same time, but one by one, the packet remains stable in relation to a reference plane, the upper rims of the pots of the pack being located in the same plane parallel to the reference plane, and this being the case even when only two pots remain in the pack. Thus, the food product advantageously preserves its position parallel to the upper rim of the pot until the two last pots of the group are detached. Then, according to the viscosity of the food product, the position parallel to the upper rim of the product is retained for a predetermined duration.

For reasons of stability in relation to the reference plane, according to the invention a group of at least three pots will be preferred when the entire base is inclined and, for example, circular or elliptical in shape and a group of at least two pots will be preferred when the entire base is inclined and polygonal in shape, as the embodiment of FIG. 6 shows with a pot 2 of hexagonal cross section and its inclined base 7 of hexagonal outline.

According to an embodiment not shown, the pot has a polygonal cross section and its inclined base has a corresponding polygonal outline.

The pot may be filled with any food product intended to be consumed in pots or groups of pots. These are, in particular, fermented or unfermented, stirred or set yoghurts, fruit mousse or vegetable purée, fromage frais, creams, products based on milk of an animal origin or soya milk, cereal-based preparations, ice cream or composite food products combining two or more of the aforementioned products. Optionally, such composite products may include, for example, a gel-type preparation or an oven-baked preparation, such as a biscuit, pieces of fruit or alternatively one or more fruit or chocolate based crunchy layers.

In the cross section of the pots the portion may have any shape.

It may also be a product that can be turned out, for instance a dairy base in the upper part of the pot and a coulis in the lower part of the pot, so as to be above the dairy base after turning out.

According to another embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a pot according to the invention has a ledge 9 intended for the application of a lid 5 for sealing the pot opening. The ledge 9 is provided on the inside wall of the pot between its upper rim 3 and its base 7, the plane 91 of the ledge 9 being parallel to the plane of the flattening 8 of the base 7 of the pot. The lid 5 has a primer tab 6, known per se.

The material of the pots is polystyrene (PS) or polypropylene (PP) injected or, preferably, thermoformed. The pot may be transparent, translucent or opaque, coloured or colourless.

More generally, the sealing of the pot may be carried out by means of any type of lid, made of multilayered plastic or aluminum, transparent or non-transparent, and welded, preferably, to the upper rim of the pot by ultrasound or heat sealing.

Advantageously, the pots are made of a transparent material, which makes it possible to improve the presentation of the food product before and during consumption.

Advantageously, the pots are sealed using a transparent lid, which makes it possible to improve the presentation of the food product in the pot before opening.

For reasons of stability of the content of the pot, the roughness of the inside surfaces of the pot is chosen so as to contribute to maintaining the inclination of the content relative to the horizontal after tilting the pot. The roughness values are chosen depending on the characteristics of the food product contained in the pot, in particular depending on its viscosity. The choice of roughness values is within the compass of the person skilled in the art.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for filling a group of at least two pots is used for food products such as described above in which, during filling, the pots of the group forming a pack are arranged so that their upper rims lie in the same plane parallel to the horizontal. In this way, after filling, the upper surface of the product packaged is approximately parallel to the plane of the upper rims of the pots of the group forming a pack.

This makes it possible to use existing filling, sealing and packaging machines.

After filling, the pots of the group are advantageously closed using a transparent lid, which makes it possible to improve the presentation of the food product before opening.

Many other variants are possible depending on circumstances, and it should be recalled in this respect that the invention is not limited to the examples as represented and described.

Claims

1. A group of at least two pots for food products that form a pack, the pots being divisible from each other, comprising: each of the pots has an upper rim surrounding an opening; andwhen the pots are grouped in the pack, and the pack is placed on a reference plane , the upper rims of the pots of the pack are located in a plane that is parallel to the reference plane; andwhen one of the pots is detached from the pack and the pot is placed on the reference plane, the upper rim of the pot is in a plane that is inclined relative to the reference plane.

2. A group according to claim 1, wherein the base of each pot has a plane through at least a part of its outer surface which the pot bears on the reference plane and which extends obliquely relative to the plane of the upper rim of the pot.

3. A group of at least two pots according to claim 1, wherein each of the pots of the group has a base that is approximately opposite the upper rim, the base having on its outer surface a flat portion that is located in a plane that is inclined relative to the plane of the upper rim of the pot.

4. A group according to claim 3, wherein the flat portion is the outer surface of the base of the pot.

5. A group according to claim 1, comprising at least one divisible tab between the upper rims of two pots defining an axis joining the pots and in a portion of each of the pots is D-shaped with a straight rim oriented so as to form an angle relative to the axis of the divisible tab of the pot.

6. A group according to claim 1, wherein each pot in the group of pots is filled to a level so that a surface of a food product packaged therein is approximately parallel to the plane of the upper rim of the corresponding pot.

7. A group according to claim 1, wherein the food product packaged in the pots has a viscosity such that the surface of the product maintains a position that is parallel to the upper rim of the pot for at least 30 seconds after the pot has been detached from the pack and placed on a horizontal plane for consumption.

8. A group according to claim 7, wherein the viscosity is between 500 cP and 10 000 cP on dosing, and between 10 000 cP and 50 000 cP.

9. A group according to claim 1, wherein the food product packaged in the pots is selected from the group consisting of a fermented, unfermented, stirred, set yoghurt, fruit mousse, vegetable puree, fromage frais, cream, a product based on milk, a cereal-based preparation, ice cream, a composite food product combining two or more products.

10. A group according to claim 2, wherein the base has an inclined plane having a cross-sectional shape selected from the group consisting of polygonal, circular and elliptical over its outer surface.

11. A group according to claim 2, wherein the pots each have a ledge designed to receive a protective film for sealing the pot on the inside wall of the pot between its upper rim and its base, the plane of the ledge being parallel to the oblique plane of the base of the pot.

12. A group according to claim 1, wherein the pots are made of a transparent material.

13. A group according to claim 1, wherein the pots are sealed using a lid made of a transparent material.

14. Method for filling a group of at least two pots for food products comprising the steps of: filling pots that are divisible from each other, each of the pots has an upper rim surrounding an opening, the pots are grouped in the pack and the pack is placed on a reference plane, the upper rims of the pots of the pack are located in a plane that is parallel to the reference plane, when one of the pots is detached from the pack and the pot is placed on a reference plane, the upper rim of the pot is in a plane that is inclined relative to the reference plane, the pots of the group forming the pack so that their upper rims are positioned in the same plane parallel to the horizontal, so that after filling the upper surface of the product packaged is approximately parallel to the plane of the upper rims of the pots of the group forming the pack.

15. Method according to claim 1, wherein, after filling, the pots are closed using a transparent lid.

16. A product comprising two containers for food products, the containers being separable from each other, comprising: each container having an upper rim, the containers are coupled together in a pack such that when placed on a reference plane, the upper rims of the containers are located in a plane that is parallel to the reference plane, and when one of the containers is detached from the other, the container remaining on the reference plane is positioned so that the upper rim of the container is located in a plane that is inclined relative to the reference plane.