Container, system and process for shipping and storing food...

Refrigeration – Portable – commodity-containing

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C062S457700, C220S023880

Reexamination Certificate

active

06189330

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to containers, systems, and processes for shipping and storing food products and to methods for recycling such shipping and storage containers. In particular, it relates to containers for shipping and storing food products having a plurality of chambers, which containers comprise an outer casing enclosing a temperature controlled container fabricated from an insulating material and systems for shipping and storing food products in such containers, which systems employ cooling means to control the temperature within the temperature controlled container. Further, the invention relates to methods for recycling such shipping and storage containers, in which the containers are returned to the food product provider for cleaning and inspection. After cleaning and inspection, the provider may reuse the container, refurbish and then reuse the container, or return of the containers or container components to the container fabricator for recycling.
2. Description of Related Art
The planning of a diet of nutritious meals, the shopping for the ingredients to prepare such meals, and the preparation of the meals themselves are often difficult and time consuming tasks. In particular, working couples, single working persons, and students often find it difficult to find the time to accomplish these tasks. Perhaps more importantly, persons suffering from diet responsive conditions, such as diabetes, are often unable to efficiently and effectively accomplish these tasks.
Although frozen and retorted food products, such as “TV” dinners and retorted soups and stews, have long been available to help persons prepare meals, these are merely aids to the planning and preparation of a diet. Nevertheless, in order to take advantage of the convenience that such frozen and retorted food products provide, the diet must still be planned, and the food products must still be purchased. Further, these food products may most greatly reduce that time and effort spent in preparation of meals. The time and effort expended in the planning and gathering of the ingredients may far outstrip the time and effort actually expended in preparing any and all of the meals. In addition, the importance of the quality of the meals may be of crucial importance. For example, diets consisting of individually packaged meals for persons suffering from a diet responsive condition are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,471 to Chait et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
While containers exist for shipping and storing chilled or heated food products, these containers provide for shipping and storing a variety of products at a desired temperature. Storing retorted food products, such as soups, at temperatures below the freezing point of water may cause the food products to freeze, and there cans or containers to rupture. Further, prolonged cooling or heating or unnecessary degrees of cooling or heating may adversely effect the organoleptic characteristics of certain food products or their ingredients. For example, prolonged or uncontrolled variations in the degree of cooling or heating may result in changes in the texture of some food products, especially baked goods. Therefore, regardless of the type or quantity of food products to be shipped or stored, the shipping container maintains the food products within a desired temperature range and reduce or eliminate any uncontrolled temperature fluctuations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A need has arisen for a container for shipping and storing food products, in which food products, which are to be maintained at a controlled temperature, are segregated from food products, the temperature of which may be allowed to vary more widely with the ambient temperature. It is a feature of such containers that they include a plurality of food product storage chambers. It is a further feature of these containers that they include an outer casing enclosing a temperature controlled container fabricated from an insulating material. It is an advantage of such containers that food products requiring a controlled temperature may be shipped or stored in the temperature controlled chamber.
Moreover, a need has arisen for a container and system for shipping and storing food products which reduces or eliminates spoilage or the loss of organoleptic characteristics, or both, during shipping or storage. It is a feature of such containers or systems that they maintain the food products within a desired temperature range during shipping and storage. It is an advantage of such systems and containers that food products are not unnecessarily or inappropriately subjected to freezing or over heating during shipping or storage.
In addition, a need has arisen for a container and system by which a complete diet of individually packaged meals may be shipped to or stored by dieters. It is a feature of this system and container that the complete diet may provide sufficient individually packaged meals for an extended period of time, e.g., a week. It is an advantage of this system and container that time and effort spent in the planning of a diet, the purchase of meal ingredients, and the preparation of meals may be reduced or minimized.
Yet another need has arisen for a container and system for providing short-term refrigeration immediately prior to, during, and immediately after shipping, e.g., for about 48 hours. It is a feature of the container and system that they include a temperature controlled chamber. It is an advantage of the container and system that it reduces or eliminates spoilage or the loss of organoleptic characteristics, or both, during and immediately before and after shipping.
A further need has arisen for a system for shipping and storing food products, in which certain food products may be maintained at a controlled temperature, while the temperature of other food products is allowed to vary more widely with the ambient temperature. Still a further need has arisen for a container and a system for shipping temperature sensitive food products and for storing such food products before or after shipping. It is a feature of such containers that cooling means may be used to control the temperature of food products shipped or stored in the temperature controlled chamber. It is an advantage of the system that food products may be shipped directly from the food product producer or provider to a consumer or dieter with reduced or eliminated exposure of temperature sensitive food products to temperature variations.
Still another need has arisen for a method for recycling shipping and storing containers, in which food products may be shipped to a consumer or dieter and in which such containers may be returned to a producer or provider of individually packaged meals for repackaging or delivered to a collection point to be recovered for inspection and cleaning by the producer or provider of individually packaged meals. It is a feature of this method that the returned or recovered containers may be inspected and cleaned by the producer or provider prior to reuse or that the containers may be refurbished by the producer or provider prior to reuse or returned to the container fabricator for recycling of its components. It is an advantage of this method that the producer or provider of individually packaged meals may decide to reuse the container or to transfer the container or its components for recycling the containers.
In an embodiment of the invention, a container for shipping and storing food products in a plurality of chambers comprises a temperature controlled container fabricated from an insulating material. The temperature controlled container includes a lid and a base. The base comprises a base chamber including a plurality of channels formed on the interior of the base chamber. The lid comprises a first side for sealing the base chamber, which includes a plurality of channels formed in the first side, and a lid chamber. Further, the lid chamber may be divided into a plurality of food product receiving chambe

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