Food container with inert gas-containing space

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus for storing a product in which a storage compartment is provided for the product and a head space containing an inert gas is provided between the product and any air which may enter the container. The original sealed container contains the inert gas and the amount of inert gas is sufficient to provide a barrier between the product and air during normal usage of the container until the product contained therein is depleted.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention is generally directed to a container for storing products especially food products with limited shelf life. The container has a head space located above a product storage compartment. The head space is filled with an inert or substantially unreactive gas. The presence of the inert gas in a sufficient quantity within the head space protects the product contained therein against contact with air both when the container is closed and when it is opened while the user removes the product therefrom. A sufficient amount of the inert gas remains within the container to protect the product from the deleterious effects of air, without the addition of further quantities of the inert gas. In accordance with the present invention, there is no need to add inert gas to the container during the useful life the of the container and the product contained therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention concerns a container permitting the preservation of various products contained therein including such products as rare books, semiconductor devices, food products and other products which tend to deteriorate under prolonged exposure to oxygen. Preservation is maintained even after the container is opened and at least a portion of the product is removed therefrom. Preservation is provided by positioning a desirable head space in the container above the product and filling the head space with a sufficient quantity of inert gas to provide a barrier between incoming air and the product stored within the container. A portion of the inert gas remains in the container to act as the barrier even after repeated use of the container.

[0003] It is known in the art to provide a device that can impart an inert atmosphere into a container containing a food product after it is opened. Such devices typically include a pressurized cannister of an inert gas to provide replenishment of the inert gas each time that a portion of the food product is removed therefrom. Such devices are disclosed in Liebmann, U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,165 and 5,566,730.

[0004] Most devices which make use of an inert gas to preserve a food product within the container employ an external source of the inert gas which must be pumped into the container and maintained therein until the container is opened. Once opened, at least a portion of the food product is are removed (e.g. poured) with the resultant lose of the inert gas. If only a portion of the food product has been removed from the container, it is necessary to replenish the inert gas from a cannister or other external service containing the same.

[0005] In the example of a bottle of wine, the packaging industry places a fluid (wine) into the bottle, leaving as little head space therein as possible. The air within the head space is extracted with a vacuum or displaced with an inert gas such as nitrogen and then sealed with a cork. This creates a well-controlled atmosphere within the bottle with minimal air in contact with wine. This helps to preserve the wine because by eliminating or greatly reducing the presence of air, deleterious reactions between the air and wine are eliminated. However, once the container is opened and its cork removed, the wine comes in contact with the air and degradation of the wine may occur.

[0006] It is well known that the quality of wine remaining in a container after its contents has been partially dispensed, deteriorates rapidly. This is due to chemical reactions between the wine and air in contact with it. The chemistry of wine is very complex, its ingredients and flavoring agents may number over a thousand. Wine is known to be very sensitive: slight changes in just a few of these ingredients can dramatically alter the taste and drinkability of the wine. Oxygen is the principal reactant in air, although there are thought to be other ingredients in air that can react with wine. Oxygen causes oxidation of many major components of the wine, which in turn can cause chain reactions that can dramatically alter the taste of the open container of wine after only a few days. This problem is particularly acute with many red wines, which are often regarded as undrinkable after more than a day of exposure to air. Almost all wines become undrinkable after a few days of exposure to air.

[0007] In wineries, expensive, large, and elaborate devices are employed to create powerful vacuums to eliminate air or use complex inert gas systems to isolate wine from air. However, this problem has not been sufficiently addressed at the consumer level. This has had a profound sociological effect: individuals who might want just one or two glasses of wine with a meal or as a cocktail, may find that it is uneconomical to fulfill their desires, as to do so would involve wasting a significant portion of a bottle of wine.

[0008] The rapidly increasing prices of wines make these economic considerations even more acute. Furthermore, this problem has made the enjoyment of exotic, expensive wines economically unattainable for many. An individual might find it easier to try a bottle of such wine if he could spread its enjoyment over a longer period of time. The present invention would also allow small restaurants to offer larger wine lists by the glass or carafe, as spoilage of unfinished bottles of wines would cease to become a consideration, thereby allowing people of average means to occasionally sample fine wines without having to make an unaffordably large expenditure on an entire bottle.

[0009] Prior art methods to diminish the damage caused by air on wine has varied from the simple: recorking the bottle, to such as methods as inserting balloons into bottles to help displace some of the air (U.S. Pat. No. 3,343,701). The former is ineffective as it fails to remove the air under the cork and the latter, impractical and ineffective, as the balloon is subject to rupture, fails to displace all of the air, and tends to tarnish the flavor of the wine by virtue of its direct contact. Other approaches have included consumer devices for creating vacuums in bottles as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,763,803 and 4,911,314. Such devices are ineffective for several reasons. They do not create vacuums strong enough to eliminate all of the air. In addition, there is the problem of possible rupture of the bottle. Seating the stopper firmly during suction would also be problematic for most consumers. Furthermore, the slit valves utilized in prior art methods tend to leak air over time and are inconsistent with the restraint of a strong vacuum. The short life span of the movable parts, particularly in the pump mechanism, also contributes toward a limited life span for the device.

[0010] The food-packing art has used non-reactive gases to displace air in the sealing of foods and beverages. Examples of such usage is exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 586,632; 1,263,278; 2,204,833; 2,333,898; 2,705,578; 2,758,766; 2,862,528; 3,212,537; 3,406,079; 3,556,174; 3,804,133; 3,837,137; and 4,312,171. However, these methods are directed toward the sealing of a filled container and not to the particular problems confronted by consumers who open sealed containers and wish to reseal them, particularly when the contents have been partially depleted.

[0011] Two devices which utilize inert gases to help preserve wine that has been opened and partially consumed are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,475,576 and 4,477,477. The former reference discloses multiple stoppers which are designed to have a “dispensing head of an inert gas dispenser” plugged directly into the stopper. The device makes use of check valves in the stopper to seal the contact point of the injection apparatus and the evacuation aperture. Such a stopper (e.g. a tapered rubber cork with molded check valves) is described as “a resilient tubular sleeve with a pinched downstream end permitting gases to pass only from within the tube out through the pinched end.” These pinched check valves (similar to those of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,763,803 and 4,911,314) are subject to degradation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,477 discloses a method and system for preserving wine that includes a source of pressurized, inert gas, and a delivery apparatus to a bottle. The device includes numerous parts and exposed connections, is awkward to use and transport, and is easily susceptible to damage. The device requires several steps to operate the device and would be undesirable for those consumers who are not mechanically-inclined.

[0012] The device includes a source of inert gas, a valve, a connection tube connected to the valve, which in turn is connected to an adjustable nozzle, which in turn is connected to a mounting device similar to a straight stopper. The mounting device is height adjustable by sliding the nozzle up and down. The nozzle is required to be positioned directly above the surface of the wine. This mounting device is held in place by a “mounting means comprising a plurality of supports projecting in spaced relationship around the perimeter of said mounting means” The spaces between these mounting means are designed to allow the expelled air to escape.

[0013] This ′477 Patent reference device has several undesirable features. The tubing connecting the valve on the gas source to the adjustable nozzle is prone to breakage and/or leakage. This could shorten the life span of the device and may allow some air to be sucked into the injection tube and into the bottle. The tubing is also prone to slipping off both the valve and the adjustable nozzle, causing failure of the device. The device also requires that the nozzle be adjusted up and down within the stopper (mounting device). This is undesirable, as it is prone to creating leaks over time as the fit between nozzle and stopper becomes less snug over repeated movements of the nozzle.

[0014] It would therefore be an advance in the art of providing an inert gas to protect products from contact with air within a container, especially during the useful life of the product, if the device did not require replenishment of the inert gas during useful life of the product.

[0015] It would be a further advance in the art if the product was consistently blanketed with a layer of inert gas even when the product was being removed from the container.

[0016] It would be a still further advance in the art to protect the product within the container without resort to assemblies having numerous parts which can deteriorate over time.

[0017] It would be an additional advance in the art to provide a container for protecting food products including liquid and solid food products from deterioration by providing a protective layer of an inert gas.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The present invention is generally directed to an apparatus for storing a product which provides a layer of inert gas in contact with the product during the useful life of the product within the container, even when a portion of the product (such as a food product) is removed therefrom by the consumer.

[0019] In a particular aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for storing a product comprising:

[0020] a) a housing defining a storage compartment for storing said product;

[0021] b) a space positioned between the product and an opening in the container, said space being within the housing for maintaining a sufficient quantity of a gas which protects the stored product from contact with air; and

[0022] c) a pathway extending from the storage compartment to said opening leading to the outside of the housing thereby enabling at least a portion of the product to be removed from the apparatus while still maintaining the product within the container in contact with the gas.

[0023] In one aspect of the present invention, the container is provided with a restriction means for enhancing the retention of the inert gas within the container to maintain the inert gas in contact with the product remaining within the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The following drawings in which like reference characters indicate like parts are illustrative of the embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention as encompassed by the claims forming part of the application.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a side view of a food container in the form of a bottle having an inert gas contained within a head space and a neck portion leading to an opening within the bottle;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a side view of the bottle shown in FIG. 1 with a portion of the food product being removed from the bottle;

[0027] FIG. 3 is a side view of the bottle shown in FIG. 1 after the bottle has had a portion of the contents contained therein removed from the bottle;

[0028] FIG. 4 is a further embodiment of the present invention in which a food container in the form of a bottle is provided with an insert to restrict the escape of inert gas when the contents of the bottle are being decanted;

[0029] FIG. 5 is a side view of the bottle shown in FIG. 4 in the process of having a portion of the contents therein removed from the bottle; and

[0030] FIG. 6 is a side view of a further embodiment of the invention in the form of a food container with a restriction assembly provided to minimize the escape of the inert gas.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] The present invention is generally directed to a container which provides a head space for the placement of a sufficient quantity of an inert gas so that during the life of the product contained therein, the inert gas protects the product against contact with air. It is well known that air in contact with perishable products or products which deteriorate on sustained contact with air such as rare books, semiconductor devices, plants, food products including vegetables, fruits, and liquid food products such as carbonated and non-carbonated beverages and wines, have short shelf lives. Such products typically undergo oxidation in the presence of air which renders the product unusable or inedible or undrinkable. As indicated above, all such products may be protected as described herein. By way of example and for illustrative purposes only, reference herein will be made specifically to food products.

[0032] The containers referred to in the present invention include any container which can effectively be used to house a product by way of example herein, a food product, such as cans, bottles, containers made of plastic or metal typically constructed in a manner in which the opening of the food container from which food is extracted can be resealed by such devices as a lid, a cork and the like. An important feature of the present invention is to provide in the original sealed container a sufficient quantity of inert gas so that even when a portion of the food product is removed and the container resealed, at least a portion of the inert gas remains within the container to provide a protective barrier against contact with air.

[0033] Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown an example of a food container in the form of a wine bottle. It will be understood that containers for housing other products including non-food products are included within the scope of the present invention. The container 10 has a body portion 12 and an upper region 14 which serves as a head space for an inert gas a shown in FIG. 1. The head space 16 is filled with any inert gas 17 which is suitable for providing a protective barrier against contact of the food product with air. The inert gas must not itself react with the contents of the container 10 and in a preferred form of the invention is heavier than air. Inert gases include, but are not limited to, nitrogen, neon, helium and argon. Argon is a preferred gas because it is heavier than air and therefore has a tendency to stay within the bottle to a greater extent than with inert gases which tend to be lighter than air.

[0034] The container 10 shown in FIGS. 1-3 has a neck region 18 which defines a pathway 20 which enables the food product (e.g. wine) contained with a storage compartment 22 to pass out of the container 10 into another vessel as may be desired by the consumer.

[0035] The neck region 18 has a smaller cross-sectional area than the body portion 12 of the container 10. As a result, there is a restriction on the amount of food product which may be removed from the container 10 at any one time. There is also a restriction on the amount of the inert gas which may leave the container 10 during the decanting of the contents therein.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, when the bottle is tilted from an upright position as shown in FIG. 1 to a position for decanting the wine out of the bottle, the inert gas 17 contained within the head space 16 likewise moves through the pathway 20 so that it is contiguous with the storage compartment 22 containing the wine being poured out of the bottle. The restrictive neck region 18 of the wine bottle helps to minimize the loss of inert gas which likewise leaves the container. Thus, after a portion of the wine has been removed from the bottle, there still remains a sufficient quantity of inert gas within the head space as shown in FIG. 3 to provide a protective barrier for the wine remaining in the container from air which may be present in the container.

[0037] The size of the head space 16 and the amount of inert gas 17 which is present therein in the original sealed container is an important aspect of the present invention. Applicant has determined that the volume of the head space and inert gas contained therein should be at least 15%, preferably at least 20% of the volume of the storage compartment 22. In this way, there remains a sufficient quantity of inert gas within the container to protect the food product even after several instances of removing food product from the container and resealing.

[0038] As previously indicated, it is preferred to use an inert gas (e.g. argon) which is heavier than air. A heavier than air inert gas has a tendency to remain within the container during removal of the food product from the container. The heavier than air inert gas tends to remain in the container due to gravitational forces and thus, less of the inert gas is lost during the food product removing operation. The use of a heavier than air inert gas may result in reducing the amount of the inert gas which need be placed in the original container. Furthermore, a heavier than air inert gas will sink below the air in the container when the container is in an upright position even when the container is opened.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 1-3, a bottle being exemplary of a food container typically has a neck portion which serves as a restriction device and thus restricts the flow of the inert gas during the food product removing operation. The present invention also encompasses a device for further restricting movement of the inert gas during the food-removing operation. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown a container 10 in which the neck region 18 is provided with an insert 30 which provides a further restriction of the amount of inert gas 17 which may leave the bottle during the food-removing operation. The insert may be made out of plastic, metal, cork or similar material and it is intended in part to provide a barrier to the exit of the inert gas through the pathway 20.

[0040] The restriction device may be permanently inserted into the pathway 20 or may be removable therefrom. In a preferred form of the invention as shown in FIG. 4, the restrictive device 30 which lies within the head space 16 may provide a restriction against exiting of the inert gas by having a pair of extensions 32A and 32B angled outwardly or inwardly (an inwardly extending extension is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) to provide a restriction to the flow of inert gas through the pathway 20. The extensions therefore provide a further restriction on movement of the inert gas out of the bottle.

[0041] As shown in the specific embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5, when the bottle 20 is decanted, the extensions 32A and 32B define a narrow gap 34 which minimizes the amount of inert gas which can enter the pathway 20. The amount of this inert gas is still sufficient to blanket the food product within the pathway with a protective layer but minimizes the amount of the inert gas which leaves the bottle during the decanting operation. As previously indicated, the extensions can extend outwardly and thereby trap the inert gas or make the passage of the inert gas out of the bottle more difficult.

[0042] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-5, the inert gas is present in the sealed bottle along with the food product (e.g. wine) and sealed therein through the use of a cork, lid or the like. The inert gas is therefore present from the time the food product is placed within the bottle to the time that the contents are removed therefrom. No additional inert gas need be added to the bottle at any time during the removal of the wine from the bottle. This is because there is sufficient inert gas present at the time of sealing owing to the relationship between the amount of gas and the amount of food product (e.g. wine) contained therein. In addition, the restriction assembly provided in the bottle in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-5 provides additional means by which loss of inert gas by pouring is minimized while still maintaining a blanket of the inert gas in contact with the contents of the bottle.

[0043] The present invention is applicable to a wide variety of food containers. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, there is provided a container for storing solid food products such as canned fruits or vegetables, bakery products, and the like. The container 40 has a body portion 42 containing a food product 44 which is provided with a head space 47 for housing an inert gas 48. The upper region 46 of the container 40 is sealed by a lid 50 which is conveniently removable to facilitate the removal of some or all of the food product 44 stored within the container 40. The upper region 46 may be provided with a restriction assembly in the form of an annular ring 52 or similar device which reduces the cross-sectional area of the container in the upper region 46. The restriction assembly 52 defines a gap 54 which provides a relatively narrow pathway for removal of the food product while at the same time minimizing the flow of the inert gas 48 out of the container when the lid 50 is removed.

[0044] In operation, the user opens the lid 50 and removes all or a portion of the contents of the food product 44 through the use of a utensil such as a spoon and the like. The inert gas 48 will flow upwardly and out of the open end of the container. However, the restriction assembly 52 provides a partial barrier against the flow of the inert gas so that a sufficient amount of inert gas 48 is maintained within the container to provide a barrier between the food product 44 and any air entering into the container during the food-removing operation. A heavier than air inert gas tends to remain in the container even after the container is opened.

[0045] It will be appreciated that other shapes and sizes of food-containing containers may be employed in conjunction with the present invention. The present invention provides protection for the food product stored within the container through the use of an inert gas in which the inert gas need not be replenished. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, it is desirable to have a head space and an amount of inert gas at least equal to about 15% of the volume of the storage compartment and food product contained therein and preferably at least 20%. As with the embodiments of FIGS. 1-5, the embodiment of FIG. 6 may employ any of the common inert gases which may be used to protect food products such as helium, neon, nitrogen and argon. As previously indicated, inert gases which are heavier than air are most preferred because there is less loss of the gas during the food-removing operation.

[0046] It will be understood that the inert gas provides a protective barrier for the food product against degradation by contact with air. In some cases it may be desirable to employ a gas which, while fulfilling this function, is not totally inert in the atmosphere of the container. For example, it is known to employ ethylene gas as a food preservative and gases of this type may also be employed in the present invention.

Claims

1. Apparatus for storing a product comprising:

a) a housing defining a storage compartment for storing said product;

b) a head space above the storage compartment within the housing for maintaining a sufficient quantity of a gas which protects the stored product from degrading contact with air; and

c) a pathway extending from the storage compartment to an opening leading to the outside of the housing enabling at least a portion of the product to be removed therefrom without the substantial loss of the gas.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the gas is an inert gas.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the inert gas is heavier than air.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the gas is argon.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus is in the form of a bottle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising restriction means for restricting the escape of a significant portion of the gas out of the opening which at least a portion of the product is being removed therefrom.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the apparatus is in the form of a bottle and the opening has a smaller cross-sectional area than the storage compartment.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the apparatus comprises a neck portion extending from the storage compartment to the opening, said neck portion having a cross-sectional area less than the cross-sectional of the storage compartment.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 comprising a neck portion and an insert insertable into the neck portion to reduce the cross-sectional area of at least a portion of the neck portion.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the insert has a pair of extensions which extend outwardly or inwardly into the container.

11. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the restriction means comprises an annular ring.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the head space is at least 15% of the volume of the storage compartment.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the insert restricts fluid flow of the gas into the neck portion.