Patent Application
20210206557
This invention relates to popcorn bags. More particularly, it relates to opening of popcorn bags.
Popcorn (popped corn, popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel, which expands and puffs up when heated.
A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the seed's hard, starchy endosperm with 14-20% moisture, which turns to steam as the kernel is heated. Pressure from the steam continues to build until the hull ruptures, allowing the kernel to forcefully expand from 20 to 50 times its original size—and finally, cool.
Some strains of corn (taxonomized as Zea mays) are cultivated specifically as popping corns. The Zea mays variety everta, a special kind of flint corn, is the most common of these.
The six major types of corn are dent corn, flint corn, pod corn, popcorn, flour corn, and sweet corn.
Microwave popcorn is a convenience food consisting of un-popped popcorn in an enhanced, sealed paper bag intended to be heated in a microwave oven. In addition to the dried corn, the bags typically contain cooking oil with sufficient saturated fat to solidify at room temperature, one or more seasonings (often salt), and natural or artificial flavorings or both. With the many different flavors, there are many different providers.
The bag is typically partially folded when it is placed in a microwave, and inflates as a result of steam pressure from the heated kernels.
The design of a microwave popcorn bag is specifically keyed to avoid popped kernel scorching, an undesirable effect that takes place when popped kernels are heated above 300° F. (150° C.).
A susceptor, usually a metalized film laminated onto the paper of the bag, absorbs microwaves and concentrates heat at the film interface, thus ensuring a heat distribution focused on the hard-to-heat flavor coating so that the un-popped kernels are evenly coated prior to popping, thereby ensuring even flavor throughout the product. Additionally, some popcorn is flawed and will not pop because of possible damage to the shell, which allows the steam to escape. These un-popped kernels are known as “old maids” or “spinsters”.
The bags that hold popcorn while microwaving commonly open at the top. When opening them excessive amounts of hot steam spew from the opened area. This can cause one's fingers, hands and even face to come into contact with the steam. When eating the popcorn, the hands pulling the popcorn from the bag often become greasy and when the bag becomes close to empty it is difficult to get the last of the popped kernels and the old maids.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need for a bag which can be opened easily and safely, while also allowing easy access to all of the popped kernels and old maids without making the hands greasy and leaving kernels and old maids at the bottom of the bag.
The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” and the like are used repeatedly. Such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise. Such terms do not generally signify a closed list.
“Above,” “adhesive,” “affixing,” “any,” “around,” “both,” “bottom,” “by,” “comprising,” “consistent,” “customized,” “enclosing,” “friction,” “in,” “labeled,” “lower,” “magnetic,” “marked,” “new,” “nominal,” “not,” “of,” “other,” “outside,” “outwardly,” “particular,” “permanently,” “preventing,” “raised,” “respectively,” “reversibly,” “round,” “square,” “substantial,” “supporting,” “surrounded,” “surrounding,” “threaded,” “to,” “top,” “using,” “wherein,” “with,” or other such descriptors herein are used in their normal yes-or-no sense, not as terms of degree, unless context dictates otherwise.
Reference is now made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings. While embodiments are described in connection with the drawings and related descriptions, there is no intent to limit the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents. In alternate embodiments, additional devices, or combinations of illustrated devices, may be added to, or combined, without limiting the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein.
Referring to
The popcorn bag 100 preferably has a height of seven (7) inches, however other heights are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, six and one-half (6.5) inches, eight and one-half (8.5) inches, etc. The popcorn bag 100 preferably has a length of three (3) inches, however other depths are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, two (2) inches, four (4) inches, etc. The popcorn bag 100 preferably has a width of three (3) inches, however other lengths are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, two (2) inches, four (4) inches, etc. The popcorn bag 100 preferably has a bowl shape, however other shapes are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, rectangular, square, round, etc. The popcorn bag 100 preferably is made of a paper material, however other materials are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, microwave-safe plastic, etc.
The popcorn bag 100 has a top 200, a bottom 300, a plurality of sides 400, an opening panel 500 and a peel tab 600.
The opening panel 500 preferably has a length of two and one-half (2.5) inches, however other lengths are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, two (2) inches, two and three-fourths (2.75) inches, etc. The length of the popcorn bag 100 is at least the same length of the opening panel 500. The opening panel 500 preferably has a height of six (6) inches, however other lengths are hereby contemplated, including, but not limited to, five and one-half (5.5) inches, six and one-half (6.5) inches, etc. The height of the popcorn bag 100 is at least the same height as the height of the opening panel 500.
The opening panel 500 has a plurality of edges 502, 503, 504, 505. The opening panel 500 is preferably resealable. The opening panel 500 is partially removably coupled to the top 200 of the popcorn bag 100. The opening panel 500 is preferably centered on the top 200 of the popcorn bag 100. Three edges of the opening panel 500 are coupled to the top of a coupling material. The coupling material is preferably a food-grade epoxy. The coupling material allows the opening panel 500 to be resealed to the top 200 of the popcorn bag 100.
The peel tab 600 is coupled to a first end 501 of the opening panel 500. The peel tab 600 is useful to indicate the direction to start an opening of the opening panel 500, further the peel tab 600 provides a handling position for a user's fingers to avoid direct contact with the popcorn bag 100 and thereby avoiding the user's fingers from making contact with a hot surface.
In
In the numbered clauses below, specific combinations of aspects and embodiments are articulated in a shorthand form such that (1) according to respective embodiments, for each instance in which a “component” or other such identifiers appear to be introduced (with “a” or “an,” e.g.) more than once in a given chain of clauses, such designations may either identify the same entity or distinct entities; and (2) what might be called “dependent” clauses below may or may not incorporate, in respective embodiments, the features of “independent” clauses to which they refer or other features described above.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing specific exemplary processes and/or devices and/or technologies are representative of more general processes and/or devices and/or technologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filed herewith and/or elsewhere in the present application.
The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments or combined with or interchanged with the features of other embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
