Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Product with defined indicating means – e.g. – indicia – etc.
Reexamination Certificate
1992-06-23
2002-06-25
Weinstein, Steven (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Product with defined indicating means, e.g., indicia, etc.
C426S104000, C426S111000, C426S107000, C426S112000, C426S113000, C206S457000, C383S003000, C383S004000, C383S120000, C383S902000, C383S907000, C219S727000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06410065
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the provision and use of an expansible food container that incorporates features which provide entertainment before, during and/or after the container has been expanded during a process of cooking its contents in a radiant energy environment such as is provided by the cooking chamber of a microwave oven, with the container being expanded from a relatively thin, generally “collapsed” state to a relatively inflated, three-dimensional or “expanded” state in a matter of a relatively brief period of time, and with the container being configured or otherwise designed to provide entertainment to onlookers as the container expands in size during the relative rapid cooking of the food contents of the container, and with the expanded container preferably also providing a structure that is of entertaining, interesting or amusing configuration or appearance, and from which cooked food can be served.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Inflatable devices of a variety of types are known that are designed to be shipped in a collapsed, basically deflated state and inflated by an end purchaser. By way of example, inflatable toys are known that are shipped in a deflated state so that a maximum number of the toys can be packaged in a minimum of space for shipment and storage.
Other self-inflating articles of various types also are known, typical among these being toys such as figurines, and flotation devices such as rafts, life preservers, and the like. Some of these articles utilize canisters of pressurized gas that are opened to effect inflation. Others utilize chemical reactions of various types to generate pressurizing gases.
Likewise, expansible containers that carry food contents such as popcorn that can be cooked as by inserting a closed container of popcorn into the cooking chamber of a microwave oven to effect relatively rapid “popping” of the corn and attendant expansion of the container also are known.
For example, on microwaveable popcorn container is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,309 to Roccaforte et al. This patent discloses uncooked popcorn sealed within a substantially oxygen impermeable, flexible, synthetic high polymer film pouch which is dimensioned to fit for storage and microwave cooking of the popcorn in an outer bowl-like protective paperboard container. The mass of uncooked popcorn has a dimension which is selected so that the circumference of the popcorn mass substantially coincides with the periphery of the outer mouth of the container and seats along the sloping walls and the base of the container.
Another microwaveable popcorn container is shown in Brandberg et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,045. This patent discloses uncooked popcorn sealed in a gusseted paper package. The uncooked popcorn is located in a center folded section of the package, and during popping, unpopped kernels and oil collect in the center of the package because of vibrations of the package and gravity.
However, the Roccaforte and Brandberg popcorn containers are not without drawbacks. For example, the Roccaforte container supports a portion of the unpopped popcorn in the package along the sides of the container away from the cooking surface of the microwave oven. However, it is believed that popcorn is most efficiently cooked in a microwaveable container when the entire mass of popcorn is supported proximate the cooking surface of the microwave oven, and preferably located in a portion of a container that is in planar, surface-to-surface contact with the cooking surface of the microwave oven. Thus placed, there is an optimum chance of locating the mass of uncooked popcorn in the peak energy zone of the microwave oven and for therefore having the greatest amount of popped corn. Similarly, although Brandberg alleges that the unpopped kernels and oil collect in the center portion of the package during popping, there is no structure disclosed that would prevent the uncooked popcorn (and oil) from spilling into the side portions of the package, and hence being supported in a portion of the package that extends away from the cooking surface.
Further, both the Roccaforte and Brandberg containers have packages or pouches with side and bottom walls which form common shapes when fully inflated (i.e., a rectangular package (Brandberg) or a circular pouch dictated by the shape of the supporting container (Roccaforte)). These packages/pouches do not have walls which are preformed so as to provide a predetermined article, character, figure or configuration which is defined by the preformed walls and which is novel, interesting or entertaining in appearance when the package or pouch is fully inflated. Rather, the wall structure of the previously proposed popcorn containers is chosen simply to minimize the space the container occupies and to provide functionally expansible structures that are of minimal cost to produce.
In fact, it is believed that the Brandberg package, being formed from paper (e.g. kraft paper), would probably be too stiff to form a predetermined article other than a simple bag when inflated. On the other hand, the Roccaforte pouch is formed form thin polymer film which does not appear to hold any particular form whatsoever when inflated aside from the form of the supporting container.
Moreover, these common package and pouch configurations, although useful for containing the cooked popcorn, are not intended to provide animated effects both during and after the popcorn cooking process. In other words, the final configuration of the popcorn package/pouch is known ahead of time—the Brandberg package will inflate to a rectangular shape, while the Roccaforte pouch will inflate to the shape of the supporting container. There is not intended to be surprise, entertainment or amusement as the package/pouch is inflated during the cooking process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention represents an extension and application of features and combinations of features of the invention of the referenced Parent Cases to containers of food stuffs and the like that are expanded as by application of radiant energy, and to the use of such containers to provide an entertainment medium, for example as by utilizing the radiant energy environment of the cooking chamber of a microwave oven or the like to cause food such as popcorn that is carried within the containers to “self-inflate” the containers over a relatively brief period of time, with the expansion of the containers causing features thereof to change in appearance in an interesting manner, with these changes preferably being accompanied by cooking noises such as is produced by the “popping” of popcorn.
The present invention addresses needs that are not addressed by inflatable toys of prior proposals, nor by present-day expansible microwaveable popcorn containers and the like, by providing an expansible food container that has features which render entertaining the very process of the container's expansion, and with the container preferably also being designed to feature entertaining configurations before and/or after its inflation or expansion.
One aspect or feature of the preferred practice of the present invention relates to the provision of an expansible food container that is configured or otherwise designed to provide entertainment to onlookers as the container expands in size during the relative rapid cooking of food in the container.
Another aspect or feature of the preferred practice of the present invention relates to the provision of an expansible food container that expands in size during the relatively rapid cooking of food in the container so that, at the conclusion of a process of that involves the cooking of food in the container, a container shape or configuration is generated that is of interesting and entertaining appearance.
A further aspect or feature of the preferred practice of the present invention relates to a method of providing entertainment as by utilizing an expansible food container that is configured or otherwise designed to be positioned in a cooking compartment of a radiant
Nottingham John R.
Panasewicz Dale
Spirk, Jr. John W.
Calfee Halter & Griswold LLP
Nottingham-Spirk Design Associates, Inc.
Weinstein Steven
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