The present invention relates to food and beverage containers, and more specifically metallic containers used for perishable foodstuffs which can be heated in a microwave oven.
With the introduction of the microwave oven, a huge demand has been created for disposable food and beverage containers which may be heated in conventional microwave ovens. These containers eliminate the necessity of utilizing a separate microwavable bowl and the inconvenience related thereto, and provide a container which is used for both storing food and beverage items, heating those items, and subsequently using the container as a serving bowl or tray. Following use, the microwavable bowl may be conveniently discarded or recycled rather than cleaned. As used herein, the term “foodstuffs” applies to both solid and liquid food and beverage items, including but not limited to pasteurized liquids such as milk products, soups, formula, and solids such as meats, vegetables, fruits, etc.
In general, metal containers have not been utilized for heating foodstuffs in microwave ovens due to the likelihood of electrical “arcing”, and the general public misconception that metal materials are incapable of being used in conventional microwave ovens. Although previous attempts have been made to design microwavable metal containers, these products have generally been very limited and impractical in their design and use. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,558,198 and 4,4689,458 describe microwavable metal containers which have height limitation of less than about 1 inch, and are thus not practical for storing any significant volume of foodstuffs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,872 to Simon et al, (the '872 patent”) discloses a microwavable metal container which utilizes a microwavable transparent material. However, the '872 patent does not utilize a hermetic seal which is sufficient to safely store food items under a vacuum for long periods of time, and which requires that the entire lower portion and sidewall of the metal container be enclosed within an electrical insulation material to prevent arcing. Further, the device requires that the side walls of the container have a height less than about 40 percent of the wavelength of the microwave radiation used to heat the object, which is not overly practical or functional.
More recent attempts to store and cook food in microwavable containers have been accomplished by using non-metallic plastic and foam type materials. Although these products are suitable for use in microwave ovens, and are generally accepted by the consuming public, they have numerous disadvantages when compared to metallic containers. More specifically, non-metallic foam and plastic containers have very poor heat transfer characteristics, and these types of containers require significant more time to heat and cool in a food processing plant. Thus, these types of containers are very time-consuming and expensive to fill and sterilize during filling operations, and are thus inefficient for mass production.
Further, non-metallic containers are not as rigid as metal containers, and thus cannot be stacked as high as metal containers which limits the volume which can be shipped, and thus increases expenses. Additionally, non-metallic containers are not durable, and are prone to damage and leaking during shipment and placement for sales, thus adding additional expense. Furthermore, multi layer barrier plastics and foams are generally not recyclable like metal containers, which fill landfills and are thus not environmentally friendly.
Finally, foodstuffs cooked in non-metallic plastic and foam containers in a microwave oven generally overheat and burn next to the container surface, while the foodstuffs in the center of the container heat last, and thus require stirring or remain cold. Further, there are general health concerns regarding the possible scalping of chemicals and the subsequent altered taste when cooking foods in non-metallic containers, especially since non-metallic plastics and foams can melt and deform when overheated.
Thus, there is a significant need in the food and beverage container industry to provide an economical metallic container which may be used for cooking foodstuffs in a microwave oven and which eliminate many of the health, shipping and filling problems described above.
It is thus one aspect of the present invention to provide a metallic, microwavable metal container which is hermetically sealed and capable of storing foodstuffs for long periods of time. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, a metallic container is provided with a lower end of a sidewall sealed to a non-metallic microwavable transparent material. Preferably, the microwavable transparent material and sidewall are double seamed to a reinforcing material and may additionally utilize a sealant material to create a hermetic, long lasting, airtight seal.
It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a microwavable metal container which generally heats foodstuffs contained therein from the “inside out”, rather than the “outside in” as found with conventional plastic and foam containers. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention a container with a unique geometric shape is provided, and while the microwavably transparent material on the lower end of the container has a surface area of at least about 1.25 square inches. More specifically, the metallic container in one embodiment has an upper portion with a greater diameter than a lower portion of the container, and thus has a substantially conical geometric shape which facilitates efficient cooking of the foodstuffs contained therein.
It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a microwavable metallic container which utilizes well known materials and manufacturing processes which are well accepted by both the container industry and consumers alike. Thus, in one aspect of the present invention a microwavable metallic container is provided which is compiled of steel, aluminum, tin-coated steel, and which utilizes a microwavable transparent material comprised of materials such as polypropylene/EVOH, polyethylene, polypropylene and other similar materials well known in the art. Furthermore, the microwavably transparent material may be interconnected to the sidewall of the metallic container with a metallic or plastic reinforcing member by a double seaming process that is well known in the metallic container manufacturing industry, and which is capable of interconnecting multiple layers of materials. Alternatively, or in conjunction with the double seaming process the microwavable transparent material may be welded or chemically adhered to a flange portion of the container sidewall or reinforcing member.
Alternatively, it is another aspect of the present invention to provide a microwavable metallic container which utilizes a microwavable transparent material which is welded or chemically sealed to a lower end of the metallic container sidewall. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention there is no double seaming required to interconnect the metallic container sidewall to the microwavable transparent material, nor is a reinforcing member necessary for support since sufficient rigidity is obtained with the metallic sidewall and microwavable transparent bottom portion.
Thus in one aspect of the present invention a metallic microwave container adapted to store a beverage or a foodstuff is provided, comprising:
a metallic container body with an upper end, a lower end, and sidewalls extending therebetween;
an end closure interconnected to an upper end of said container body;
a microwave transparent material interconnected to said lower end of said metallic container sidewall which allows microwave energy to pass into said metallic microwavable container from said lower end.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a bowl or container shape which is more efficient with regard to heating the foodstuffs within the container. Thus, in one aspect of the present invention a container is provided which utilizes an upper portion with a greater diameter than a lower portion, or alternative a lower portion with a greater diameter than an upper portion. Alternatively, a container which has an upper portion with substantially the same diameter upper portion and lower portion may be utilized.
Thus, in another aspect of the present invention, a microwavable metallic container is provided that comprises:
a container body with an upper end, a lower end and sidewalls extending therebetween;
an end closure interconnected to an upper end of said container body;
a substantially concentric metallic ring interconnected to a lower end of said container body, comprising:
a first end adapted for operable engagement to said lower end of said container body;
an outer panel wall interconnected to said first end and extending downwardly therefrom;
an inner panel wall interconnected to said outer panel wall to form a countersink at a lowermost portion and a first leg extending upwardly therefrom;
an upper ledge extending inwardly from said inner panel wall first leg;
a second end interconnected to said upper ledge and oriented outwardly toward said inner panel wall; and
a microwave transparent material interconnected to an exterior surface of said at least one of an exterior surface of said ring second end, said upper ledge and said inner panel wall.
The Summary of the Invention is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present invention. The present invention is set forth in various levels of detail in the Summary of the Invention as well as in the attached drawings and the Detailed Description of the Invention and no limitation as to the scope of the present invention is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this Summary of the Invention. Additional aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the Detail Description, particularly when taken together with the drawings.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of these inventions.
To assist in the understanding of the present invention the following list of components and associated numbering found in the drawings is provided herein:
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.
Referring now to the drawings,
Referring now to
Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the microwavable transparent bottom portion 14 has a cross sectional area of at least about 1.25 square inches to allow optimum heating of the foodstuff contained within the microwavable container 2. The bottom reinforcing member 16 is generally used for interconnecting the metallic sidewall lower portion 12 to the microwavable transparent bottom portion 14, and is generally comprised of a metal material such as aluminum, or steel. However, as appreciated by one skilled in the art this material may also be comprised of a plastic material such as polypropylene, polyethylene or other well known materials in the art.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Although each of the geometric configurations provided in
While an effort has been made to describe various alternatives to the preferred embodiment, other alternatives will readily come to mind to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it should be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. Present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not intended to be limited to the details given herein.
This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/064,224, filed Feb. 22, 2005, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/797,749, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,112,771, filed Mar. 9, 2004, both applications being incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2714070 | Welch | Jul 1955 | A |
3079031 | Henchert | Feb 1963 | A |
3219460 | Brown | Nov 1965 | A |
3379358 | Cvacho | Apr 1968 | A |
3547305 | Khoury | Dec 1970 | A |
3547661 | Stevenson | Dec 1970 | A |
3709398 | Fuhrmann | Jan 1973 | A |
3737092 | Rausing | Jun 1973 | A |
3854023 | Levinson | Dec 1974 | A |
3941967 | Sumi et al. | Mar 1976 | A |
3952912 | Perry | Apr 1976 | A |
3985261 | Kulesa | Oct 1976 | A |
4046282 | Ruch | Sep 1977 | A |
4081646 | Goltsos | Mar 1978 | A |
4190757 | Turpin et al. | Feb 1980 | A |
4227624 | Hawkins | Oct 1980 | A |
4228916 | Weingardt | Oct 1980 | A |
4351997 | Mattisson et al. | Sep 1982 | A |
4388335 | Schiffmann et al. | Jun 1983 | A |
4416907 | Watkins | Nov 1983 | A |
4438850 | Kahn | Mar 1984 | A |
4513876 | Buchner | Apr 1985 | A |
4558198 | Levendusky et al. | Dec 1985 | A |
4560850 | Levendusky et al. | Dec 1985 | A |
4637543 | Kiicherer | Jan 1987 | A |
4641005 | Seiferth | Feb 1987 | A |
4656325 | Keefer | Apr 1987 | A |
4689458 | Levendusky et al. | Aug 1987 | A |
RE32739 | Terauds | Aug 1988 | E |
4814568 | Keefer | Mar 1989 | A |
4828135 | Kawakami et al. | May 1989 | A |
4866234 | Keefer | Sep 1989 | A |
4875597 | Saunders | Oct 1989 | A |
4940158 | Farrell et al. | Jul 1990 | A |
4988013 | Kobayashi et al. | Jan 1991 | A |
4997691 | Parkinson | Mar 1991 | A |
5022551 | Hexel | Jun 1991 | A |
5108387 | Falk et al. | Apr 1992 | A |
5217307 | McClintock | Jun 1993 | A |
5230914 | Akervik | Jul 1993 | A |
5240131 | Keller | Aug 1993 | A |
5246134 | Roth et al. | Sep 1993 | A |
D345081 | Adami et al. | Mar 1994 | S |
5355991 | Baranowski | Oct 1994 | A |
5725120 | Ramsey et al. | Mar 1998 | A |
5900264 | Gics | May 1999 | A |
5961872 | Simon et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
6147337 | Besser | Nov 2000 | A |
6165115 | Rea | Dec 2000 | A |
6213328 | Tiramani et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6221420 | Thomas et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6508375 | Krall | Jan 2003 | B1 |
D510024 | Jacober et al. | Sep 2005 | S |
7112771 | Richardson et al. | Sep 2006 | B2 |
20030038131 | Nomura et al. | Feb 2003 | A1 |
20050199617 | Richardson et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20050199619 | Richardson et al. | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20070102425 | Richardson et al. | May 2007 | A1 |
20070108196 | Richardson et al. | May 2007 | A1 |
20070108197 | Richardson et al. | May 2007 | A1 |
20070108198 | Richardson et al. | May 2007 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
2113812 | Nov 1993 | CA |
1085180 | Apr 1994 | CN |
1395899 | Feb 2003 | CN |
1396098 | Feb 2003 | CN |
4102053 | Oct 1992 | DE |
4124208 | Jan 1993 | DE |
0344839 | Dec 1989 | EP |
0487166 | May 1992 | EP |
0875370 | Jan 1998 | EP |
1144258 | Oct 2001 | EP |
2666073 | Feb 1992 | FR |
2134495 | Aug 1984 | GB |
01-131634 | May 1989 | JP |
05229558 | Sep 1993 | JP |
05305935 | Nov 1993 | JP |
08085546 | Apr 1996 | JP |
2001247157 | Sep 2001 | JP |
0333393 | Apr 2001 | NZ |
WO 9203355 | Mar 1992 | WO |
WO 9212904 | Aug 1992 | WO |
WO 9322219 | Nov 1993 | WO |
WO 9611142 | Apr 1996 | WO |
WO 0041935 | Jul 2000 | WO |
WO 2004033324 | Apr 2004 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20070284368 A1 | Dec 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 11064224 | Feb 2005 | US |
Child | 11743578 | US | |
Parent | 10797749 | Mar 2004 | US |
Child | 11064224 | US |