Compartment container including a secondary reservoir package

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9682791-B2
Application number	US-201113105207-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2011
Priority date	May 11, 2010
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to a compartment container that includes one or more secondary reservoir package(s). More specifically, the present invention relates to a tubular containers, such as containers made of composite material (e.g. paperboard) with end caps for packaging refrigerated dough products. The tubular containers house one or more reservoir package(s) that are formed from one or more flexible materials (e.g. polymeric films) and are used to retain condiments, fruits, icings, spices, nuts, candies or any other ancillary ingredient(s).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A compartment container comprising:
a container body having a side wall defining an upper end opening and a lower end opening; a food product contained within the container body;
an upper end closure positioned over the upper end opening of the container body and sealingly closing the upper end opening of the container body;
a lower end closure positioned over the lower end opening of the container body and sealingly closing the lower end opening; and
at least one ingredient reservoir comprising a reservoir cover and a reservoir body, the reservoir body having a sidewall extending from a first end to a second end and comprising an end wall closing the second end of the reservoir body, wherein the first end of the sidewall includes a ridge providing a sealing surface and the reservoir cover is secured to the sealing surface of the ridge of the sidewall such that the at least one ingredient reservoir constitutes a sealed at least one ingredient reservoir,
wherein the sealed at least one ingredient reservoir is positioned inside of the container body with the reservoir cover facing and extending across the container body directly adjacent the lower end closure, such that the food product contained within the container body is prevented from flowing past the ridge of the sidewall of the sealed at least one ingredient reservoir with a seal being created between the reservoir cover and the side wall of the container.

2. The compartment container of claim 1 , wherein the sidewall of the sealed at least one ingredient reservoir is substantially cylindrical.

3. The compartment container of claim 1 , wherein the at least one ingredient reservoir includes a tab that is configured to be removed to dispense ingredients contained within the reservoir, said tab extending directly between the sidewall of the reservoir body and the container body.

4. The compartment container of claim 1 , wherein the container body includes a spirally-wound construction of one or more layers of composite material, an inner liner layer of plastic and/or foil and an outer paper label layer.

5. The compartment container of claim 1 , wherein the container body is formed from one or more plastics.

6. The compartment container of claim 1 , wherein the sidewall of the at least one ingredient reservoir is formed of a flexible film that includes one or more polymers.

7. The compartment container of claim 1 , wherein the reservoir cover of the sealed at least one ingredient reservoir is in direct contact with the lower end closure inside the container body.

8. The compartment container of claim 1 , wherein both the reservoir cover and the reservoir body are formed from a polymeric film.

9. The compartment container of claim 8 , wherein the sidewall of the at least one ingredient reservoir is formed of a film having a thickness of between about 1 and 15 mils.

10. A compartment container comprising:
a container body having a side wall defining an upper end opening and a lower end opening; a food product contained within the container body;
an upper end closure positioned over the upper end opening of the container body and sealingly closing the upper end opening of the container body;
a lower end closure positioned over the lower end opening of the container body and sealingly closing the lower end opening; and
at least one ingredient reservoir including a reservoir cover and a reservoir body, the reservoir body having a sidewall extending from a first end to a second end and including an end wall closing the second end of the reservoir body, wherein the sidewall of the at least one ingredient reservoir is formed of a film having a thickness of between about 1 and 15 mils such that the reservoir body constitutes a flexible pouch, the first end of the sidewall includes a ridge providing a sealing surface, the reservoir cover is secured and sealed to the sealing surface of the ridge of the sidewall, and the at least one ingredient reservoir is positioned inside of the container body with the reservoir cover facing the lower end closure, wherein the food product contained within the container body is prevented from flowing past the ridge of the sidewall of the at least one ingredient reservoir with a seal being created between the reservoir cover and the side wall of the container.

11. The compartment container of claim 10 , wherein the food product is an expandable food product contained within the container body between the upper end closure and the sealed at least one ingredient reservoir, wherein pressure from the expandable product presses against the sealed at least one ingredient reservoir, causing deformation of the sealed at least one ingredient reservoir.

12. The compartment container of claim 11 , wherein the deformation of the sealed at least one ingredient reservoir due to the pressure from the expandable product provides a seal between an interior of the side wall of the container body and the at least one ingredient reservoir.

13. The compartment container of claim 11 , wherein the container body is substantially cylindrical having inner and outer diameters, and the sealed at least one ingredient reservoir has a diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the container body such that the sealed at least one ingredient reservoir fits tightly therein.

14. The compartment container of claim 11 , wherein the container body is substantially cylindrical having inner and outer diameters, and the sealed at least one ingredient reservoir has a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the container, but large enough such that the sealed at least one reservoir fits tightly within the container body when pressure from the expandable product is exerted on the sealed at least one ingredient reservoir.

15. The compartment container of claim 10 , wherein the thickness is between about 2 and 7 mils.

16. The compartment container of claim 10 , wherein the at least one ingredient reservoir is sized relative to the container body such that the at least one ingredient reservoir frictionally fits within the container body.

17. The compartment container of claim 10 , wherein the reservoir cover includes a tab configured to be removed to dispense ingredients contained within the reservoir body, said tab extending directly between the sidewall of the reservoir body and the container body.

18. A compartment container comprising:
a container body having a side wall defining an upper end opening and a lower end opening;
an upper end closure positioned over the upper end opening of the container body and sealingly closing the upper end opening of the container body;
a lower end closure positioned over the lower end opening of the container body and sealingly closing the lower end opening; and
first and second ingredient reservoirs, wherein each of the first and second ingredient reservoirs includes a reservoir body having a sidewall extending from a first end to a second end, an end wall closing the second end of the reservoir body, a ridge providing a sealing surface at the first end of the sidewall, and a single reservoir cover secured to the sealing surface of the ridge at the first end of the sidewall of both of the reservoir bodies such that the single reservoir cover seals the reservoir body of both of the first and second ingredient reservoirs.

19. The compartment container of claim 18 , where each of the first and second ingredient reservoirs frictionally fit within the container body.

20. The compartment container of clai

Assignees

• Lorence Matthew W
• Kirk David A
• Kackman Scott
• Phillips Diane
• Gen Mills Inc

Inventors

• Lorence Matthew W
• Kirk David A
• Kackman Scott
• Phillips Diane

Classifications

• B65D3/267 Primary

  and having an attached or applied tearing or reinforcing element · CPC title

• B65D81/3233

  Flexible containers disposed within rigid containers · CPC title