Plastic containers for quick freezing of fruit

Details Plastic containers for quick freezing of fruit Plastic containers for quick freezing of fruit

2000-05-05

2001-08-14

Shoap, Allan N. (Department: 3727)

Receptacles

Closures

Removable closure situated by resilient distortion and...

C220S789000, C220S760000, C220S790000, C220S770000, C220S023860, C206S503000, C206S508000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06273291

ABSTRACT:

This invention relates to plastic containers with removable lids for use in quick freezing of fruit or other foods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Consumer tend to prefer frozen foods over canned foods for a number of reasons. Frozen foods tend to look better than canned foods. Also the canning process tends to produce greater changes in texture, appearance and taste than quick freezing.
In the conventional preparation of frozen fruit, after undergoing a washing operation, the fruit is placed in containers, after which the containers are sealed by application of removable lids and then subjected to a quick freezing operation. Fresh fruit are quick frozen in the dry state, or the fruit may be covered with a suitable syrup containing sucrose or some other sugar product. Examples of prior art methods for producing frozen fruit or other foods are provided by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,780,551 issued Feb. 5, 1957 to D. G. Guadagni et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,172 issued Apr. 9, 1968 to E. J. Bensen et al. In a large scale operation a number of containers are subjected to quick freezing simultaneously. To maximize throughput in the quick freezing stage, it is desirable to stack containers one upon the other. However, a critical factor in freezing fruit in containers is to produce an even and complete freezing of the fruit, and stacking containers one upon the other tends interferes with the flow of frigid air or other gaseous freezing medium around the containers.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of this invention is to provide improved containers with replaceable lids for holding fresh fruit or other food that is to be quick frozen, the containers and lids being designed so that when the containers are stacked one upon the other, flow passages are provided between the containers for flow of a gaseous freezing medium such as frigid air.
The foregoing object is achieved by providing (1) a plurality of like containers each having projections or feet at its bottom end and (2) a plurality of lids for the containers, each lid being characterized by a rim portion having means for making a releasable connection with the top end of one of the containers, and a depressed center portion that coacts with the rim portion to define a contoured shallow nest for receiving the bottom end of a container that is placed on top of the lid, so that when two or more containers are stacked one on top of the other, (a) the bottom of a higher container is restrained against lateral movement by the lid of the next lower container, and (b) a gaseous freezing medium can flow between the stacked containers via passages that extend between the rim portion of the lid of the next lower container and the bottom of the higher container and also between the feet on the bottom of the higher container.


REFERENCES:
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