Claims
- 1. A package for popping popcorn in a microwave oven having an oven chamber with a floor, the package comprising, a container formed from self-supporting microwave transparent sheet material and including an upstanding side wall terminating at the top in a free edge defining an upper mouth, the side walls of the package slope outwardly to permit stacking of a plurality of such packages within one another during shipment and storage, the side wall having a lower edge resting upon the floor of the microwave oven during cooking, the package also including a generally horizontal wall portion to provide a compartment thereabove for unpopped popcorn, the horizontal wall positioned at a point spaced upwardly from the bottom edge of the side wall to define a second compartment within the confines of the side wall between the bottom wall of the package and said oven floor, a layer of a microwave interactive susceptor material connected or adjacent to the horizontal wall and being distributed thereacross, the lower edge of the side wall of the container provides sealing engagement with the floor of the microwave oven whereby air in the lower compartment is held therein so as to become heated above the temperature of the surrounding air in the oven, a layer of popcorn contained in the upper compartment of the container in heat conductive relationship with the susceptor, a flexible cover formed from flexible microwave transparent material, a first seal between the cover and the sidewall proximate to upper wide mouth, said cover conforming prior to popping to the inner surface of the container and generally in proximity to the upper surface of the layer of unpopped corn, at least one layer of a flexible barrier material extending across the upper aspect of the popcorn, a heat releasable hermetic seal between the flexible barrier material and a portion of the package enclosing the popcorn, whereby during heating said releasable seal is ruptured enabling said flexible cover to expand upwardly as the popcorn pops to accommodate kernels of popped corn, and prior to rupturing the hermetic seal maintains a protective enclosure for the popcorn for enhancing popping of the corn.
- 2. The package of claim 1 wherein the susceptor comprises a dried layer of a liquid microwave interactive coating applied to the lower surface of said bottom wall.
- 3. The package of claim 1 wherein the susceptor is a thin layer of metal or a metal-containing composition.
- 4. The package of claim 1 wherein a popcorn containing container is provided within the package, said popcorn containing container having a rim that includes a microwave susceptor material adapted to assist in melting the releasable seal during microwave heating to facilitate the release of the cover from the rim.
- 5. The package of claim 4 wherein the susceptor layer comprises a coating adhered to the lower surface of the popcorn containing container, said susceptor including particles of a microwave interactive substance and a cured binder to hold the particles together and to bond the coating to the surface of the popcorn containing container.
- 6. The package of claim 4 wherein the popcorn containing container is spaced upwardly from the lower edge f the side wall by a distance of about one-eighth wavelength of the microwave energy supplied to the oven so that when the oven has a wavelength of 12 cm said distance is about 1.0 cm to 1.5 cm whereby the entire susceptor has a gap G of about one-eighth wavelength of the microwave energy between itself and the bottom wall of the oven to assist in popping the popcorn.
- 7. The package of claim 4 wherein the popcorn containing container is a dish-shaped container having a bottom wall, a side wall and a circular rim at the upper edge of the side wall, said susceptor is provided in heat transfer relationship with the rim, a lid composed of a barrier sheet material is sealed to the rim by means of said heat releasable seal, the food contained in the popcorn containing container expands during heating in the microwave oven and, upon release of said seal, transfers into an upper compartment, said upper compartment has an expandable wall formed by said flexible cover to accommodate the expansion of the food from the popcorn containing container as it transfers during heating into the upper compartment.
- 8. The package of claim 7 wherein the bottom wall of the popcorn containing container has a susceptor layer of microwave interactive material to assist in heating the food therein.
- 9. The package of claim 8 wherein the food comprises kernels of unpopped popcorn.
- 10. The package of claim 1 wherein the heat releasable hermetic seal has microwave susceptor material adapted to assist in melting the releasable seal during microwave heating to facilitate the release of the cover from the rim.
- 11. The package of claim 1, wherein the side wall of the container has said cover connected thereto, said cover is formed from a flexible sheet material adapted to expand upwardly during heating in a microwave oven and the upward expansion of the cover encloses and accommodates food when expanded by the application of microwave energy to the package.
- 12. The package of claim 1 wherein a dish-shaped container is located within the upper compartment, the popcorn is contained within the dish-shaped container and said layer of flexible barrier material comprises a sheet of material sealed across the top of the dish-shaped container above the popcorn and the layer of microwave interactive susceptor material is connected to the dish-shaped container in heat transfer relationship to the popcorn therein.
- 13. The package of claim 12 wherein the flexible cover is bonded to the layer of flexible barrier
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 497,190 filed May 22, 1990m now U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,024 and bearing the same title.
US Referenced Citations (30)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Jiffy Pop Microwave Popping Package, American Home Products, Inc., .COPYRGT.1986. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
497190 |
Mar 1990 |
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