Condiment dispenser

Abstract

A condiment dispenser includes two chambers that are connected at a center section that has a removable tip. The dispenser is folded at the center section so that the two chambers are adjacent to each other. The condiment is removed from the dispenser by opening the tip and squeezing the two chambers together.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

A disposable plastic package for food condiments.

BACKGROUND

Condiments have been packaged in flexible plastic packets have achieved widespread and diverse commercial and industrial applications. Frequently, such flexible rectangular pouches or packages are made of thermoplastic sheet material. The edges of the packets are sealed so that the condiment is hermetically sealed within the packet. The sealed packet protects the condiment from exposure to ambient air until the user opens the packet. These packages are typically used for single-servings condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, relish, mayonnaise, soy sauce, taco sauce, vinegar and other condiments used by fast food restaurants.

Existing condiment packets are generally fabricated from two rectangular pieces of plastic film that are first sealed together along the side and bottom edges. The packet is held upright and a condiment is fed through the open top. Once the packet is filled, the top edge is sealed. To open the packet and remove the condiment, the user must tear or cut off a small portion of the packet and squeeze or pour the condiment from the packet.

There are various problems with these types of packets. In particular, it is difficult to open these packets. Although the packets can be cut open, users generally don't carry knives or scissors. It is also difficult to accurately direct the condiment onto the food after the packet is open. When the condiment packet is torn open the contents frequently squirts out in unpredictable directions when the packet is squeezed. What is needed is an improved condiment dispenser that provides an easier means for opening the packet and a better way of controlling the flow of the condiments from the packet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventive condiment packet includes two chambers connected at a center portion. The two chambers are tapered towards the center portion which is narrower in cross section. The package may be formed from two sheets of plastic film that are sealed together at the edges of the packet. In order to fill the packet with the condiment, the bottom and sides of the package are first sealed. The packet is placed in an upright position and the condiment is pumped into the packet. When the packet is full, the top edge is sealed. The packet is then folded at the center section so that the two chambers are positioned against each other. The sealed condiment remains fresh until the packet is opened and used.

A tip is located on the center section of the condiment packet. The tip is removed to open the packet so that condiment can be extracted from the packet. There are various ways to remove the tip from the packet. The tip can be cut or torn from the center section. Alternatively, the tip can be a screw top or cap that allows the packet to be resealed. The tip may also include a valve that does not allow the condiment to escape unless a certain pressure is applied to the packet. This type of valve prevents low viscosity condiments from accidentally flowing out of the packet. The packet may also have a tab that is attached to the tip and pulled to remove the tip from the packet. The tab may be a flap, a piece of plastic, a string that is attached to the tip, or any other material that can be securely attached to the tip. Once the packet is opened, the user can squeeze the two chambers together to direct the condiment in the desired direction.

The inventive packet may be manufactured using an automated assembly machine. The plastic films used to form the packet may be preprinted with graphics describing the condiment. This printed film is stored on rolls so that the film is easily fed to the assembly machine. The machine may fold the film in half so that one surface of the film becomes all inside surfaces of the packet. The machine then uses a heat source or adhesives to fuse the two sides together along the bottom and side edges of the packet. The side edges may be in the shape of an hourglass that is narrow at the center section. A filling tube is inserted into the top of the packet and a specific volume of the condiment is injected into each packet. The machine then seals the top edge of the packet with an adhesive or by melting the film layers with a heat source. The machine may bend the packet at the center section so that the two chamber sections are adjacent to each other and form the final shape of the condiment dispenser.

The automated machine may also form the tip on the center section of the packet. The tip may be formed with a laser or a perforating device. A tab may also attached to the tip which a user can pull to remove the tip from the packet. In an embodiment, the tip may be a plastic resealable nozzle that is attached to the center section of the packet. The nozzle may have a sealing surface that is fused to the film with an adhesive or by melting the packet film to the nozzle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the inventive dispenser;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the inventive dispenser;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the pressure applied to the packet and the condiment flowing from the packet;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of the unfolded condiment package;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of the valve in the closed position; and

FIG. 6 is an illustration of the valve in the opened position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the inventive condiment packet 100 includes two chambers 103 and is folded at a center section 105. The packet 100 is constructed from a thin flexible film that forms a single volume that hermetically seals the condiment. The two chambers 103 may be triangular in shape and tapered in cross section towards the center section 105. The center section 105 of the packet includes a tip 107 that is removed to open the packet 100. A tab 123 may be attached to the tip 107 that is pulled to remove the tip 107 from the packet 100.

The packet 100 is designed such that when the tip 107 is opened and the two chambers 103 are squeezed together, the condiment flows out of the tip 107 of the packet 100. With reference to FIG. 3, once the packet 100 is open, the user can squeeze the chambers 103 together to force the condiment out of the chambers 103, through the center section 105 and out the opening created by the removed tip 107. By controlling the pressure applied to the chambers 103, the flow rate of the condiment from the packet 100 can be controlled. The tip of the packet allows the placement of the condiment onto the food to be easily controlled.

The inventive packet 100 design is an improvement over the prior art. The tip 105 is easily opened and is located away from the chambers 103. Thus, when the user squeezes the chambers 103 with the thumb and forefinger the condiment does not come in contact with the user's hands. The inventive packet 100 is more efficient because substantially all of the stored condiment can be forced out of the packet 100 because the user squeezes the ends of the chambers 103. In contrast, it is difficult to extract all of the condiments from conventional prior art rectangular packets. When one end is open and the center of the packet is squeezed at the center, much of the condiment remains in the unopened end of the packet.

The size of the tip 107 may be related to the type of condiment that is in the packet 100. More specifically, the viscosity of the condiment will determine the proper tip 107 size. A high viscosity condiment will require a larger tip 107 and a low viscosity condiment will require a smaller tip 107. Relish includes small pickle chunks and will require a large tip 107 to allow these chunks to flow out of the packet 100. A medium sized tip 107 is used with viscous condiments such as mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup. In contrast, low viscosity condiments such as vinegar and some salad oil based dressings require smaller tips. These low viscosity liquids will flow out of the packet 100 before the user squeezes the packet 100 if the tip 107 is too large. The tip 107 should be sized so that some pressure is required to extract the condiment from the packet 100.

In an embodiment, the packet may be about 2-5 cm in length and about 2-5 cm in width. The tip may be about 0.25 to 0.75 cm in width or diameter. The packet holds about 0.75 oz of the condiment. Although these dimensions are recommended for a single serving of the condiment, the dimensions can be varied to alter the volume of the packet depending upon the needs of the condiment packet supplier.

There are various ways of manufacturing the inventive condiment packets. With reference to FIG. 4, in an embodiment the inventive condiment packet 200 is formed from two plastic film pieces that are sealed together at the edges 201 and form an hour glass shape. The ends of the hour glass shape form two chambers 203 that are connected at a center section 205. The two chambers 203 are wider than the center section 205. The plastic laminate film pieces are flexible and provide gas tight containment of the condiment. The non-permeable material keeps the condiments fresh and allows the condiment to be stored for long periods of time.

After the packet 200 is filled with the condiment and sealed, it is folded at the center section 205 so that the two chambers 203 are adjacent to each other. An adhesive may be used to hold the chambers 203 together and keep the packet in the folded configuration. The inventive packet 100 is opened by removing a tip 207 of the packet at the center section 205. This tip 207 may be serrated or partially cut so that it is easily removed from the center section 205. The tip 207 may be circular, triangular, rectangular or any other geometric shape. The tip 207 may be a perforation and a cut opening notch which allows the tip 207 to be easily torn open. The perforation may be formed with a laser, a sharp edge or a knife.

To assist the user in opening the packet 200, a tab 223 may be attached to the tip 207. By pulling on the tab 223, the tip 207 is removed from the packet without having to touch the tip. This prevents direct physical contact with the tip 207 and keeps the condiment away from the user's fingers. In order to remove the tip 207, a tab 223 may be attached to the tip 207. The tab 223 may be formed from a portion of the outer layer of the packet. The tab 223 may then be peeled from the film so that it is easily grasped by the user. The tab 223 may also be a separate piece that is attached to tip 207 such as a short length of plastic material or a string. By pulling the tab 223, the serrated tip 207 is easily removed to open the packet 200.

Alternatively, the tip may be a separate plastic component such as: a spout, a resealable nozzle, a resealable screw cap or snap cap that is attached to the packet. In this embodiment, the spout or nozzle is a separate plastic piece that is typically an injection molded plastic. This nozzle mechanism may have an orifice and a plug. In one embodiment, the orifice is part of a nozzle that can be pulled away from the plug to open the packet. In another embodiment, the nozzle has threaded surfaces which control the relative positions of the orifice and plug. When the nozzle is rotated in one direction the threads separate the orifice and plug opening the packet. When the nozzle is rotated in the opposite direction, the plug engages the orifice closing the packet.

In an embodiment, the tip may be a spout that is an elongated piece of plastic tubing that is sealed at the end. The tube may be serrated so that the user can simply break the sealed end of the tube off and open the packet. The spout may also include a resealable cap, that can be placed over the spout to safely transport or store the unused condiment that remains in the packet.

In yet another embodiment, the tip may also include a pressure valve which prevents the condiment from being removed from the packet until pressure is applied. This is particularly useful with low viscosity condiments that would normally flow out of a packet through gravity alone. With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the pressure valve 301 may be a small diaphragm 303 that normally rests against an orifice 305. When pressure is applied to the packet, the diaphragm 303 deforms and the condiment flows around the diaphragm 303 and out of the nozzle. The pressure can be applied by squeezing the two chambers of the packet together. When the pressure is removed, the diaphragm 303 again seals against the orifice 305 and the condiment will not flow from the packet. The pressure required to break the diaphragm 303 seal can be controlled by the stiffness of the diaphragm 303 and the size of the orifice 305. A more rigid diaphragm 303 and a small orifice 305 will require more pressure than a flexible diaphragm 303 used with a large orifice 305.

The present invention has been described as a single volume container. In an alternative embodiment, the inventive packet may store two different condiments in each of the two chambers. The first chamber may store ketchup while the second chamber may store mustard. In this embodiment, the center portion separates the two chambers so that the condiments are not mixed. The center portion may include a separate tip for each chamber. The user can open either or both tips based upon personal preference. In the mustard/ketchup configuration, the user can open the mustard chamber for a hamburger and then open the ketchup chamber for French fries.

Although the inventive system is primarily intended to be used for condiments, it is also possible to use the chambers for storing liquids that are used together. For example, epoxy adhesives include two different components that are mixed together to activate the adhesive. In an embodiment, the two chambers of the inventive packet hold the two liquid epoxy components. By opening the tips of the two chambers, the two components can be removed from the packet at the same time and then mixed together. Various other fluids may be stored in the inventive packets. It is also possible that the first and second chambers have different volumes if the mixing ratio is not one-to-one.

The plastic films used to make the packets may be a single material such as polyethylene plastic or alternatively, the film may have a laminated construction with various materials layered. The film must be flexible and strong as well as chemically compatible with the condiment. In order to be compatible, the sheet material and the condiment must be inert to each other. A film may be compatible with ketchup but not compatible with mustard or any other halogen-containing products. Ketchup is a tomato based sauce that requires an oxygen barrier in the packet for an extended shelf-life.

The following is an example of a film material that is compatible with Ketchup. In order to minimize the oxygen exposure and preserve the quality of the condiment, the film used in the product packaging may be a multilayered structure that includes an oxygen barrier such as a metal layer. For example, the film may be formed from layered individual plies of: (1) Printed cellophane, (2) White-pigmented (10% titanium dioxide pigment) low-density polyethylene, (3) aluminum foil, (4) urethane adhesive, and (5) 0.002 inch layer of medium density polyethylene. Each layer provides a specific function. The cellophane layer is the outer surface and provides a printable material for text and graphics. The low density polyethylene forms an opaque layer which creates white background for the cellophane. The metallic foil is non-permeable to oxygen and keeps the condiment fresh by acting as a barrier between the condiment and the ambient air. The urethane adhesive binds the aluminum foil to the polyethylene layer. In alternative film layer constructions, the oxygen barrier metal layer can be nickel, copper, tin and stainless steel rather than aluminum. The polyethylene layers are heat sealable, thus the packet is formed by pressing two film sheets together at the edges and heating the sheets to fuse the layers. Various other plastic materials may be used in the film including: polypropylene, polyester, ionomer laminates, polyvinylchloride, polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene vinyl alcohol, polyacrylonitrile, polyethyleneterephthalate, polyester, or combinations thereof and other laminate layers.

In another embodiment, the product packaging film has a plastic oxygen barrier core layer surrounded by intermediate and outer layers. The oxygen barrier core layer may be polyvinylalcohol (PVOH), which has low oxygen transmission characteristics. The core layer can be between about 1 microns and 50 microns thick. The intermediate layers are protective plastic materials whose oxygen permeability are independent of the relative humidity of the environment. Suitable intermediate layer plastic materials include: polyolefin, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethyleneterephthalate and polyester. The intermediate layers may be at greater than 25 microns thick. The outer layer can be an abrasive resistant silicone resin of sufficient thickness to protect the core layer.

In an embodiment, the inventive packets are made and filled with condiment liquids by automated machines. These machines are commonly known as “automatic vertical form, fill and seal packaging machines.” The laminate films are first printed with the desired graphics and stored on rolls. The printed films are then fed to a machine that fabricates the condiment packets. The sides of the packets are sealed together by fusing the layers of film together with heat or an adhesive in an hour glass shape. The three sealed sides form a vertically oriented pocket with an open top. A filling tube may then be used to inject a specific volume of the condiment into the open top packet. After the packet is filled, the top edge is sealed and the finished packet is cut away from the roll. The top of the packet may be filled with nitrogen gas to remove any oxygen from the packet before it is sealed. A single sealing operation serves simultaneously to provide both the second package end closure of one package and the first package end closure of the next package. The sides of the packets may also be cut to the hour glass shape but this is not required and will not change the functionality of the packet.

As discussed, the machine seals the edges of the packets. The machine may seal the edges by heating the plastic so that it melts together or, alternatively, the machine may use an adhesive or glue to attach the plastic sheets together. The fusing of the films to form the packets is normally done by clamping the films for a short period of time between jaws or other pressure members. If a thermoplastic web is used, for example a plastic film containing a high proportion of thermoplastic synthetic fibers, the film layers can be sealed by heat. However, if a non-thermoplastic web is used, it is necessary for the web to carry a coating of a heat or pressure activated adhesive.

The machine also includes a cutting mechanism that separates the packets from the rolls of plastic materials. The cutting mechanism can be a mechanical blade or scissors. Alternatively, the cutting mechanism can be a laser or hot knife that simultaneously cuts and seals the plastic sheets together. In addition to cutting the packet away from the rolls of material, the machine may also cut away the unused side pieces of plastic to form the hour glass shape.

The automated machine may also form the tip by scoring or partially cutting the outer plastic layer with a knife, laser or any other appropriate device. The cut or scoring creates a weak area but must not puncture the entire thickness of the plastic layer. The machine may also form the tab used to remove the tip from the packet from a portion of the packet. Alternatively, the tab may be a separate piece that is attached to the tip with an adhesive or by melting the plastic tip to the tab.

This permanent opening is a drawback of tear to open condiment packets, particularly if only part of the contents of the package is used. Thus, for large volume packets it may be desirable to have a resealable nozzle at the tip. In an embodiment, an automated machine inserts a plastic nozzle or tip onto the packet that includes a resealable cap or nozzle.

Although the packet is described as using the same flexible plastic sheet material for both sides of the chambers, it also possible to use different types of materials. For example, a more rigid plastic may be used for one surface of the condiment packet. The more rigid plastic will tend to resist bending and act like a spring that resists the squeezing compression forces so that the user can regulate the flow of the condiment from the packet.

While the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that numerous modifications, substitutions and additions may be made to the disclosed embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is intended that all such modifications, substitutions and additions fall within the scope of the present invention that is best defined by the claims below.

Claims

1. A condiment packet comprising:

a first chamber;

a second chamber;

a center portion that connects the first chamber to the second chamber that is narrower in cross section than the first chamber and the second chamber; and

a tip attached to the center portion that is removed to allow the condiment to flow from the condiment packet;

wherein the first chamber, the second chamber and the center portion form a sealed volume that is filled with a condiment.

2. The condiment packet of claim 1 wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are made from a film that has a low oxygen permeability.

3. The condiment packet of claim 2 wherein the film includes multiple laminates including multiple plastic layers.

4. The condiment packet of claim 1 wherein the condiment dispenser further comprises:

a flap that is pulled to remove the tab from the center portion of the packet.

5. The condiment packet of claim 1 wherein the first chamber, the center portion and the second chamber are formed from an hour glass shape plastic film.

6. The condiment packet of claim 1 wherein the tip includes a resealable nozzle.

7. The condiment packet of claim 1 wherein the tip includes a serrated section that allows a portion of the tip to be easily removed from the center portion of the condiment packet.

8. A condiment packet comprising:

a first chamber;

a second chamber;

a center portion that connects the first chamber to the second chamber that is narrower in cross section than the first chamber and the second chamber; and

a tip in the center portion that is removed to allow the condiment to flow from the condiment dispenser;

wherein the first chamber, the second chamber and the center portion are formed from a sheet of film that has a low oxygen permeability.

9. The condiment packet of claim 8, wherein the film is chemically compatible with tomato ketchup.

10. The condiment packet of claim 8, wherein the film is chemically compatible with mustard.

11. The condiment packet of claim 8, wherein an outer surface of the film is printed with a graphical design.

12. The condiment packet of claim 8, wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are about 2 to 5 cm in width and about 2 to 5 cm in length.

13. The condiment packet of claim 8, wherein the tip is about 0.25 to 0.75 cm in width or diameter.

14. The condiment packet of claim 8, wherein the tip is resealable.

15. The condiment packet of claim 8, wherein the tip includes a valve that prevents the condiment from flowing out of the packet unless a predetermined pressure is applied to the first chamber and the second chamber.

16. A condiment packet comprising:

a first chamber containing a first condiment;

a second chamber containing a second condiment;

a center portion that holds the first chamber to the second chamber that is narrower in cross section than the first chamber and the second chamber; and

a first tip in the center portion that is removed to allow the first condiment to flow from the first chamber; and

a second tip in the center portion that is removed to allow the second condiment to flow from the second chamber.

wherein the first chamber, the second chamber and the center portion are formed from a sheet of film that has a low oxygen permeability.

17. The condiment packet of claim 16 wherein the condiment dispenser further comprises:

a flap that is pulled to remove the tab from the center portion of the packet.

18. The condiment packet of claim 16 wherein the first chamber, the center portion and the second chamber are formed from an hour glass shape plastic film.

19. The condiment packet of claim 16 wherein the tip includes a resealable nozzle.

20. The condiment packet of claim 16 wherein the tip includes a serrated section that allows a portion of the tip to be easily removed from the center portion of the condiment packet.