Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Packaged or wrapped product – Having consumer oriented diverse utility
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-01
2002-03-12
Cano, Milton I. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Packaged or wrapped product
Having consumer oriented diverse utility
C426S122000, C220S258500, C220S266000, C229S123200, C229S125050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06355286
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to canisters for containing particulate-type products. In particular, the present invention is an air-tight membrane that seals an opening within the canister to ensure freshness of a particulate-type product, such as ready to eat cereal, contained within the canister. The air tight seal membrane includes perforations that allow a consumer to easily open the membrane to gain access to the particulate-type product.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An extremely popular form of packaging for dry, particulate-type products sold to consumers is a paper carton. A wide variety of different products are packaged in this form, ranging from consumable items such as cereals and baking goods to nonconsumable items such as laundry detergents and de-icing salt pellets. Paper cartons present a number of advantages for manufacturers, retailers and ultimate consumers. For example, paper cartons are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and provide a number of flat surfaces onto which product or promotional information can be displayed. Further, paper cartons normally assume a rectangular, parallel-piped shape and are therefore readily stackable. Thus, a retailer can maximize shelf space while fully displaying the product. Obviously, consumers likewise find the stackability characteristic desirable for home storage. Finally, paper cartons are typically sized in accordance with consumer preferences such that a desired amount or volume of product is provided with each individual carton.
Certain types of products are amenable to storage within a paper carton alone. Generally speaking, however, a paper carton connot, in and of itself, prevent degradation of the contained product to adequately maintain product integrity. For example, a paper carton likely will not prevent aroma, flavor, moisture, grease, oil, contaminants, small insects, etc. from passing through to the contained product. Thus, packaging for virtually all particulate-type products requires an additional container or liner disposed within the paper carton. This is especially true for consumable/food products. A widely accepted technique for maintaining product integrity is to place the product into an inner container or bag, that in turn is stored in the carton (commonly referred to as a “bag in a box”). The bag is typically made of a plastic or glassine material and is sealed about the product. In this sealed form, the bag maintains product freshness and protection against insect infestation, whereas the outer paper carton provides packaging strength and display. Alternatively, a double packaging machine (DPM) technique may be employed to form a plastic or glassine liner within a paper carton. Regardless of the exact manufacturing process, the resulting packaging configuration includes a box with an inner liner that serves as a barrier material. One readily available example of this packaging approach is a ready-to-eat cereal, although it should be understood that a wide variety of other products are similarly packaged.
The box with an inner liner packaging approach is universally employed. In fact, from a manufacturer's standpoint, box with an inner liner packaging satisfies a number of important criteria including low cost, stackability, and large, flat surfaces for displaying product and promotional information. Unfortunately, however, consumers may encounter several potential drawbacks. These possible disadvantages are perhaps best illustrated by reference to a ready-to-eat cereal product.
Most ready-to-eat cereal products are sold to consumers in the box with an inner liner packaging format. Thus, to consume the cereal, the user must first open the paper carton. In this regard, a top portion of the carton typically forms at least two flaps folded on top of one another. The flaps are normally at least partially adhered to one another with an adhesive. By pulling or otherwise tearing one flap away from the other, a consumer can then access the inner bag. An all too common problem is that the selected adhesive creates too strong of a bond between the flaps, making flap separation exceedingly difficult. In fact, consumers may become frustrated with the separation process and resort to partially or completely tearing both flaps away from the carton. A related problem is found with a reclosure feature often times incorporated into the flaps. For example, one of the flaps may be provided with a tab, whereas the other flap includes a perforated slot positioned to receive the tab for reattachment of one flap to the other. Obviously, where the consumer has torn both flaps from the carton, the reclosure feature is unavailable. Additionally, the reclosure feature is sometimes difficult for a consumer to understand and properly use. For example, consumers often tear the flap in the region Of the slot such that the slot can no longer maintain the tab.
Once the carton has been opened, the consumer must then open the inner bag. Once again, this may be a cumbersome procedure. More particularly, an elongated seal is typically formed and extends along a top portion of the bag. This seal is broken (or “opened”) by pulling apart opposite sides of the bag. In some instances, the so-formed seal is too rigid for simple opening. Even further, a person with reduced dexterity and strength, such as a child or elderly individual, may have difficulty in breaking an even relatively light seal. As a result, attempts at opening the inner bag or liner often result in an undesirable tear along a side of the bag, causing unacceptable product displacement from the bag, or an uneven opening. The person may resort to using a knife or scissors, possibly resulting in bodily harm to the user.
Once the carton and bag or liner have been opened, the consumer is then ready to pour the contents from the package. Due to the flexible nature of the inner bag, the actual opening through which the product flows is unpredictable. That is to say, the opening formed in the bag is not uniform or fixed. As a result, a larger than expected volume of product may unexpectedly pour from the container. Alternatively, where the inner bag has not been properly opened, product flow may be too slow. Further, although the flaps will have been folded upwardly to allow for product flow, an inherent bias or bend typically causes the flaps to extend upwardly relative to a top of the carton. Thus, the flaps will impede a user from visually confirming acceptable product volume and flow. As a result, the user may not be able to visually identify an unacceptable product flow rate until after an undesirably large volume of product has been distributed from the package. Additionally, the inner bag typically is not secured to the carton. During a subsequent pouring operation, then, the entire bag may undesirably be released from the carton. Finally, a potential concern arises relating to the ease with which a user can handle the carton during the pouring operation, To this end, the carton is typically configured to form an elongated rectangular cylinder having four rigid, ninety-degree corners. This rigid construction can render grasping of the package difficult, especially for a user with limited hand dexterity, such as a child or elderly individual.
A further consumer concern relating to box with an inner liner packaging stems from attempts to reclose the package for subsequent storage of remaining product. Again with reference to widely employed ready-to-eat cereal packaging, following dispensing of a portion of the cereal from the package, the user is then required to roll or fold the top portion of the bag or liner over onto itself so as to “close” the bag. It is not uncommon for a user to simply forget to perform this operation. Alternatively, even where an attempt is made, the bag cannot be resealed and thus remains at least partially open. Similarly, the bag may subsequently unroll. Individual cereal pieces may then undesirably be released from the bag and/or contaminants can enter into the bag. Regardless, the above-described reclosure featur
Deering Curtis J.
Moberg Sarah J.
Sumpmann Patrick J.
Cano Milton I.
Dauerman Sherry
General Mills Inc.
O'Toole John A.
Rendos Thomas A.
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