Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Packaged or wrapped product – Having nonedible spacer to segregate all units of multiunit...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-17
2001-05-15
Weinstein, Steven (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Packaged or wrapped product
Having nonedible spacer to segregate all units of multiunit...
C426S090000, C426S128000, C426S106000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231906
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a packaging system for food. More particularly, it refers to a plastic two sided package coupled together for holding tart shells and pie crusts. It is well known that tarts are made in a process including at least two distinct steps. First, the tart shells are manufactured. Secondly, the tart shells are filled with a filler such as a jelly, a cake, or some other edible substance.
Frequently, when filled tart shells are transported the shells themselves are cracked or the filling that has been provided in an aesthetic display is defaced or deformed through engagement with the internal walls of the container in which the tart shells are transported. As such, a need has developed for a packaging system for tart shells that allows filled or unfilled tart shells to be easily and safely transported without damage even in the event they are inverted. It is with this need in mind that the present invention was developed.
Applicant is aware of the following prior art:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,793,955 to Selmer
U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,836 to Murrell
U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,458 to Ehe
U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,404 to MacManus
U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,544 to Dendrinos
U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,957 to Polus
U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,976 to Bessett et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,386 to Madalin et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,548 to Buff, Jr.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,157 to Caporaso
U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,002 to Rez
U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,083 to Antoni et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,774 to Hammett et al.
The present invention patentably distinguishes from the teachings of these U.S. Patents as contemplating a packaging system for tart shells having a lower half designed to receive the underside of a tart shell and an upper half including a peripheral ledge overlying the peripheral edge of the tart shell and holding it in place even if the packaging system is inverted with the upper half also including a domed structure designed to enclose the filling within the tart shell without engaging it.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a packaging system for tart shells including the following interrelated objects, aspects and features:
(1) In a first aspect, the inventive packaging system includes a lower half and an upper half that may be coupled together in any suitable manner such as, for example, by respective protrusions and recesses in the halves, by a hinge or by some combination of these features.
(2) The upper and lower halves may be provided with one or more chambers defined by chamber halves formed in the lower and upper halves of the packaging system that combine together to form a chamber. In the preferred embodiments of the present invention, anywhere from one to eight chambers may be provided in the packaging system.
(3) Concerning each such chamber, the lower half of the packaging system includes a recess sized and configured to receive the undersurface of a tart shell. Many tart shells have a generally frusto-conical undersurface and, where this is the case, the chamber half in the lower half of the packaging system has a frusto-conical shape designed to snugly receive the undersurface of the tart shell. Of course, this chamber half may be made of any suitable shape and configuration designed to snugly receive the undersurface of a tart shell.
(4) The upper chamber half formed in the upper half of the packaging system includes a generally dome-shaped portion designed to overlie a recess within the tart shell that is normally filled with an edible material such as a jelly, pastry, or other edible composition. The dome-shaped portion has a lower periphery spaced radially inwardly from the periphery of the lower chamber half. Radially outwardly from the lower periphery of the dome-shaped portion, a ledge is formed that overlies the outer periphery of the lower chamber half. This ledge is sized and configured to capture the periphery of a tart shell contained within the lower chamber half. In this way, if the tart shell is inverted while contained within the packaging system, the ledge captures the periphery of the tart shell and prevents movement of the tart shell out of snug engagement with the lower chamber half.
(5) The dome-shaped portion of the upper chamber half may be of any shape or configuration including, for example, polygonal peripheral walls, curved peripheral walls or peripheral walls of any desired shape. The top wall of the dome-shaped portion may be flat or convex with any desired configuration of the peripheral walls thereof.
(6) In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the packaging system is made of a thin, transparent, plastic material, preferably formed in a vacuum-forming process. Of course, any suitable manufacturing techniques may be employed.
As such, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a packaging system for tart shells.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a system including a lower half and an upper half coupled together in a suitable manner.
It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide such a packaging system wherein the upper half thereof includes a peripheral ledge designed to overlie and enclose the periphery of a tart shell.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a packaging system that may be used to simultaneously enclose from one to eight or more tart shells whether filled or unfilled.
These and other objects, aspects and features of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the appended drawing figures.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2793955 (1957-05-01), Selmer
patent: 3122441 (1964-02-01), Smith
patent: 3131846 (1964-05-01), Whiteford
patent: 3234030 (1966-02-01), Knirim
patent: 3356277 (1967-12-01), Hohnjec
patent: 3406856 (1968-10-01), Griffith et al.
patent: 3431836 (1969-03-01), Murrell
patent: 3447731 (1969-06-01), Lehmann
patent: 3512458 (1970-05-01), Ehe
patent: 3637404 (1972-01-01), MacManus
patent: 3643857 (1972-02-01), Noguchi
patent: 3676159 (1972-07-01), Fallowfield
patent: 3692544 (1972-09-01), Dendrinos
patent: 3728957 (1973-04-01), Polus
patent: 3732976 (1973-05-01), Bessett et al.
patent: 3799386 (1974-03-01), Madalin et al.
patent: 3865953 (1975-02-01), Peters
patent: 3874548 (1975-04-01), Buff, Jr.
patent: 4057188 (1977-11-01), Steinhardt
patent: 4381837 (1983-05-01), Cortopassi
patent: 4398633 (1983-08-01), Weinstein
patent: 4399157 (1983-08-01), Caporaso
patent: 4426002 (1984-01-01), Rez
patent: 4435434 (1984-03-01), Caporaso
patent: 4472440 (1984-09-01), Bank
patent: 4499353 (1985-02-01), Shields
patent: 4842143 (1989-06-01), McKee et al.
patent: 4874083 (1989-10-01), Antoni et al.
patent: 4896774 (1990-01-01), Hammett et al.
patent: 5082677 (1992-01-01), Bear
patent: 5695062 (1997-12-01), Lemaire
patent: 5858428 (1999-01-01), Truscello et al.
Cake Box Bakeries, Inc.
Larson James E.
Larson & Larson P.A.
Weinstein Steven
LandOfFree
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