APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING MULTIPLE COMESTIBLE COMPONENTS IN A SIMULTANEOUS AND ORGANOLEPTICALLY PLEASING MANNER

Abstract

An apparatus for delivering a multi-state or multi-component comestible, comprising a sealed pouch or tube containing one component of the comestible which surrounds, either fully or on multiple sides, one or more other components, housed in one or more separated tubes or compartments. The apparatus' unique delivery, wherein one component surrounds the other component(s) as it is expulsed into the consumer's mouth, greatly enhances the consumer's organoleptic experience. The consumer's organoleptic experience may be further enhanced by the shape and/or location of the tubes/pouches of the apparatus, which, based on the specific comestible being delivered, can be modified to speed up or slow down delivery of individual comestible components into the consumer's mouth, and to provide greater control over the outflow of individual components of the multi-component comestible.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to packaging of comestibles containing multiple components in order to deliver those components in a simultaneous and organoleptically-pleasing manner. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a comestible such as a frozen popsicle-style confection containing separate components of alcohol and flavored ice (or two or more other component substances of different physical states, e.g. frozen, semi-frozen, gelatinous, or liquid), is delivered in a way that is pleasing to the gustatory senses, by avoiding component blending prior to expulsion from the package yet facilitating component blending through methods of expulsion into the consumer's mouth.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Since its creation in 1905, the ice-pop has become widely popular, and today, is enjoyed by people of all ages. The first ice-pop was created by Frank Epperson, who accidentally left a glass containing soda powder and water on his back porch with a stirring stick still in it. Overnight, the contents of the glass froze, and Epperson realized he could eat the frozen confection using the stick as a handle. Seventeen years later, the “Eppsicle” was patented (U.S. Pat. No. 1,505,592 to Epperson, et. al.), and soon brought to the commercial market.

In today's market, one can find many variations on the ice-pop, and advancements have broadened the confection's appeal to consumers. A quick stroll through the frozen food section of most grocery stores would reveal ice-pops that are multi-colored, low-fat, low-calorie, multi-flavored, contain real fruit, have no stick, etc.

One such variation on the ice-pop, however, has been considerably more difficult to effectively bring to market: ice-pops containing alcohol.

Despite the popularity of frozen cocktails for adults over the legal drinking age of twenty-one, ice-pops containing alcohol have hit a few major roadblocks on their path to widespread commercial viability.

The first of these roadblocks stemmed from fact that the difference between the freezing temperatures of alcohol and water is very high, so freezing a mixture of the two substances is not easily accomplished. Water freezes at 0° C., whereas ethyl alcohol may not freeze until it reaches temperatures of as low as −114° C. (depending on the proof of the alcohol). This is not to say that a mixture of the two substances cannot be frozen together. Patents have been granted protecting methods of freezing mixtures of water and alcohol, accomplished through blending. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,999 to Ashmont, et. al., describes a method for creation of ready-to-freeze alcoholic beverages by processing a mixture of sugar, alcohol, flavorings and a carboxymethlycellulose stabilizer; U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,51 to Ishida, et. al., describes a method for super cooling sake under highly pressurized conditions; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/459,257 to Squicciarini describes a complex method for creating a frozen alcohol and water mixture by adding a drug and a gelling agent to the mixture, all while kept at a precise temperature.

Although several products have taken advantage of these methods and have been introduced to the marketplace, including Parrot Bay® Frozen Cocktails and Snobar® Alcoholic Ice Cream, they seem to have limited commercial viability, primarily due to two more roadblocks encountered when trying to develop these sorts of products: high price and sensory/taste limitations. The complicated blending processes involved with freezing a mixture of water and alcohol results in a product that must be set at a higher price point, alienating price-sensitive portions of the market; similarly, the pre-blending processes create products that poorly simulate the oganoleptic (i.e. sensory/taste) experience of consuming an alcoholic beverage mixed with ice that many consumers enjoy (be it in crushed, cubed, or shaved form—each of which creates different sensory/taste experiences for the consumer).

As such, there remains a need for an alcoholic ice-pop-style confection that is not impractically expensive to produce and purchase, and is also organoleptically pleasing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

1. Brief Summary of the Invention

The present invention solves the problems of high cost and sensory/taste (i.e. organoleptic) limitations that are associated with making a frozen alcoholic confection by proposing a different solution: modify the method in which the confection is delivered to the mouth of the consumer. If the delivery method is modified so that the alcohol and water or other liquid need not be blended, yet can be delivered simultaneously, the problem of trying to freeze them together is avoided. In other words, an alcoholic ice-pop style confection can be served as a multi-state confection, rather than a single-state confection. This multi-state confection, though containing both a liquid portion, as well as a solid or semi-solid portion, could still be consumed as a single unit. This is accomplished by keeping the alcoholic and non-alcoholic components in separate compartments or chambers up until the point of ingestion, at which time they can be merged and consumed simultaneously.

The present invention accomplishes the goal of improving upon the organoleptically pleasing properties of a multi-state confection (such as the way alcohol is enjoyed when served over ice), storing the multiple substances separately, yet delivering the multiple substances simultaneously, by using a sealed tube or pouch that contains within it one or more smaller sealed tubes or compartments. Importantly, the larger tube or pouch encompasses the smaller tube(s) or compartment(s) in such a way as to surround the smaller tube(s) or compartment(s) at the top of the tube (the point of expulsion).

The fact the that the substances do not mix prior to expulsion from the tube, and the fact that, when expulsed, one substance surrounds the other, play a key role in the sensations experienced by the consumer. Organoleptic appeal can be greatly influenced by changes to the way that ingredients in a comestible are delivered. For example, there are clear sensory and taste differences between a comestible that is chopped, mixed, pureed and liquefied, just as there can be for a beverage served over cubed, crushed, or shaved ice.

The way that the present invention enhances the organoleptic appeal can also easily conceptualized using, as a rough example, a hamburger. The hamburger has garnered widespread appeal because of its unique delivery method of a meat patty between two sides of a bun. Imagine, just to illustrate the impact that delivery method can have on organoleptic appeal, that instead, a hamburger's components were mixed prior to consumption by pureeing the meat patty and bun in a blender. The sensations experienced during consumption would be vastly different. Consumption of components that are not pre-blended, yet not totally separated, is unique. Thus in the present invention, the fact that the two substances contained in the tube or pouch do not mix prior to consumption is quite important, just as is the fact that the meat patty and bun are separate components that are not mixed prior to consumption of a hamburger, allowing for sensory separation, despite being served as a single unit.

Furthermore, to illustrate the organoleptic importance in the present invention of one substance in the larger tube or pouch surrounding the smaller tube(s) or compartment(s), imagine that instead of being served as a patty surrounded by bun on both sides, the hamburger were served with only a bun on one side of the patty. This hypothetical alternate delivery method would provide a much different sensation, because the taste of the patty would be fully exposed to one side of your mouth, while the taste of the bun would be fully exposed to the other. This would be a large departure from the sensory experience of consuming a patty that is encompassed by the taste and feel of the bun on both sides. The same organoleptic difference, and importance of the encompassing aspect of the present inventions delivery method, can also be appreciated by imagining what the sensory experience of eating a burrito would be like, if it were eaten as a mound of rice and beans atop a flat tortilla, as opposed to the tortilla wrapping around the other ingredients to encapsulate them.

In the case of alcoholic ice-pop-style confections, the difference in organoleptic appeal that comes from alcohol being stored separately from frozen flavored water (for example), and not mixing prior to expulsion from the tube, as well as the difference in organoleptic appeal that comes from the alcohol being surrounded by the frozen flavored water and thus masking the taste of alcohol on all sides, are both easier to conceptualize if the analogy of the hamburger or burrito is kept in mind.

The design of the present invention—a new delivery method for a comestible with multiple components, stored in a tube or pouch wherein one component surrounds another component(s) housed in another, separated tube(s) or compartment(s) until the point of consumption—will have valuable organoleptic application far beyond alcoholic ice-pop-style confections. For example, if applied to a comestible containing a tube filled with yogurt and a tube filled with fresh fruit or fruit flavored gelatin, the organoleptic appeal that is produced when the yogurt surrounds the fruit at the point of expulsion will be different than the organoleptic appeal that is produced when the yogurt and the fruit come out side by side at the point of expulsion. Similarly, the organoleptic appeal that is created by the present invention applies to a wide variety of other comestibles, that are more pleasing to the sensory/taste experience when delivered to the consumers mouth separately, yet simultaneously, such as peanut butter and jelly, extrudable chocolate and marshmallow, and the like.

2. Description of the Related Art

Patents have been granted which lay out variations on packaging, or new methods of delivery of comestibles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,159,717 to Aldridge, et. al., describes a delivery method for packaged gum, wherein a single package containing the strips of gum may be separated into two distinct gum-filled packages. U.S. Pat. No. D286,747 to Kostanecki describes a cone-shaped packaging design that incorporates a basic dispensing method for delivery of extrusible comestibles. U.S. Pat. No. 2,121,564 to Herron describes a delivery method for a frozen comestible wherein a peel away wrapper is used to encapsulate a cylindrical bar of ice cream, and can be removed prior to consumption.

Patents have also been granted which improve upon the organoleptic properties of a comestible. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,849 to Carroll, et. al., describes a way in which chewing gum can be prepared in order to improve the composition and enhance the pleasant feeling associated with consuming the comestible. U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,093 to Licari describes a delivery method for soluble dietary fibers aimed at making the consumption more organoleptically pleasing.

The present invention represents a highly innovative modification on a packaging and delivery method which makes a significant departure from the prior art by greatly improving the organoleptic properties of multi-component comestibles.

Patents have been granted on pouch-like packaging methods; unlike the present invention, however, such pouch-like packaging methods largely fail to consider the organoleptic aspects of consumption. For example, U.S. Pat. No. D645,761 to LaTour, et. al., describes a dual pack wrapper, containing two side-by-side tubes/pouches, to be opened separately for separate delivery to the point of explulsion (see, e.g., FIGS. 5 and 6, U.S. Pat. No. D645,761). Unlike U.S. Pat. No. D645,761, the present invention allows the contents of the multiple tube/pouches to be expulsed together, with one substance surrounding or encompassing the other fully or on multiple sides, thereby creating a much different organoleptic experience (returning to the hamburger analogy, U.S. Pat. No. D645,761 might, in a sense, be compared to a hamburger where a bun and a hamburger are consumed separately, or at best, as a hamburger with a bun on one side only, whereas the present invention can be compared to a hamburger with a bun on both sides, or fully surrounding the meat patty). U.S. Pat. No. 7,306,095 to Bourque, et. al., describes a re-closeable, multiple compartment pouch with a burst seal, intended to allow the components of the compartments to be uniformly mixed within the pouch, via an internal frangible seal. Unlike the invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,306,095, the present invention specifically aims to avoid mixing within the package, which also creates a much different sensory experience (returning to the hamburger analogy, U.S. Pat. No. D645,761 can be conceptualized as the hamburger that is mixed in advance, or pureed before being served).

Unlike any related art, the present invention further utilizes the shape of the tubes/pouches to affect delivery to the consumer's mouth and enhance the consumer's organoleptic experience. As detailed in the subsequent description, the shape and/or location of the tubes/pouches are intended to speed up or slow down delivery of individual comestibles into the consumer's mouth. The shape and/or location of the tubes/pouches are also intended to provide the consumer with control over the outflow of individual aspects of the multi-component comestible (a rough analogy may be made to the way in which the shape of a pitcher allows for an extra degree of control when pouring liquid and ice; it allows the pourer to either limit the amount of ice released by pouring through the narrow tip at the front end of the pitcher, or letting more ice spill out by pouring from the side of the pitcher).

Various features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth, in part, in the description that follows, and other features, aspects and advantages may be learned from producing or using the present invention. It should be apparent that the foregoing general description, as well as the following detailed description, are only exemplary and explanatory, and are not to be viewed as being restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a depiction of the concept of the present invention. This figure provides a side view of the apparatus.

FIGS. 2-3 depict examples of ways in which the compartments could be separated. These figures provide a top-down view of the present invention.

FIGS. 4-5 depict examples of the way in which a liquid-state (or gelatinous-state) compartment could be modified to give the consumer greater control over the flow of the liquid from the top of the apparatus to further enhance the sensory experience and make the comestible more organoleptically pleasing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring first to FIG. 1, a delivery method for a multi-state or multi-component comestible can be created with a tube or pouch containing within it, another tube(s) or compartment(s).

The outer tube or compartment 2 will have one or more tubes or compartments 3 contained within it, or in other words, the contents of one tube or compartment will be separated from, but surrounded either fully or on multiple sides by, the contents of the other tube(s) or compartment(s). In a preferred embodiment, the entire apparatus will be made of a very thin, highly malleable material (plastic or cellophane, for example).

Specifically with reference to an alcoholic ice-pop-style confection, the outer tube or compartment 2 would contain the non-alcoholic portion of the confection, which could be stored at any temperature, but would become a solid or semi-solid when kept at a cold enough temperature. The inner tube 3 (or tubes) would contain the alcoholic portion of the confection, which would remain a liquid, even after being kept at a cold temperature and even after the contents of the outer tube have changed states (liquid to solid or semi-solid).

The openings of the tubes will be aligned and sealed together at the top of the apparatus 1. This way, if one were to tear a line 6 across the entire apparatus near the top, all tubes or compartments would be opened, and their contents would all be able to be removed or expelled (i.e. ingested) from a single opening in the apparatus. The bottom of the apparatus 5 would be sealed the same way. As the consumer pushes up on the bottom of the apparatus, or squeezes the apparatus near the bottom, the application of force would push the contents of the apparatus upwards toward the opening 6, and into the consumer's mouth, which would be placed just over that opening.

Because of the fact that one component of the confection would be a liquid, while the other would be a solid or semi-solid, there arises an issue of how to create an even expulsion of the two components of the confection into the consumers mouth. The rate of release of the liquid must be able to be controlled to some extent, for otherwise, the liquid portion of the confection will shoot out too quickly, and the consumer will be served a mouth full of only alcohol—a sensation which will not likely be organoleptically pleasing for that consumer.

The present invention incorporates design modifications, based on composition, texture, viscosity and freezing points of liquid or semi-solid comestible components, that can be made to the apparatus to more precisely control the release of comestible components, in order to further enhance the organoleptic experience for the consumer. Examples of such modifications include altering the shape and layout of the compartments, the material of the tube, the ingredients in the alcoholic or non-alcoholic components, or the proof of the alcohol. Ways to alter the shape and layout of the compartments are discussed below.

FIG. 2 depicts a top-down view of FIG. 1. As seen in the picture, the larger tube or compartment 2 fully surrounds 4 the smaller tube or compartment 3. The advantage of this layout is that the liquid content of the confection 8 is potentially kept cold longer by the frozen, non-alcoholic outer portion of the confection 7, as it is less exposed to the heat from the consumer's hand. Since alcohol becomes more viscous when its temperature decreases, the rate at which it is expelled from the apparatus can be slowed (i.e., for slower delivery into the consumer's mouth). The tradeoff, however, is that the consumer cannot touch the inner compartment if the center tube is fully surrounded, and therefore has less control over outflow of the liquid.

FIG. 3, in contrast, depicts an alternate layout from the top-down, in which the smaller compartment 9 is wide enough to touch the outside of the apparatus. This effectively creates an additional compartment by splitting the larger, outer compartment into multiple compartments 10 & 11, and adds the benefit of the consumer being able to touch the liquid-filled compartment directly, potentially giving them more control over its expulsion, but also exposing the liquid to more heat from the consumer's hand, and potentially increasing its viscosity.

The shape of the compartments can also be modified to control the speed of the release of the liquid portion of the confection. FIG. 1 depicts an inner compartment that is straight 3, however, a true cylinder would likely give the consumer little control over the liquid contents of the compartment. The rate at which liquid will emerge from the top of a compartment when pressure is applied at the bottom depends on the ratio of areas between those two points of the compartment. In a cylinder, like the one depicted in FIG. 1, the ratio of areas of the bottom and top is 1:1, resulting in average control of the liquid's expulsion. On the other hand, if the ratio of areas of the bottom and top were 1:5, you would have to apply five times more force at the bottom to get the same amount of liquid to come out of the top. FIG. 4 depicts an example of a compartment with a ratio of areas that would give the consumer more control over the flow of the liquid from the top of the compartment. The area at the bottom of the compartment 13 is small, but the area at the top of the compartment 12 is larger, so the liquid would flow from the top at a slower rate than it would in a compartment with a 1:1 ratio (the true cylinder) if the same amount of force were to be applied to the bottom. FIG. 5 depicts another such modification that can be made. Like FIG. 4, the ratio of areas of the bottom to the top still gives more control over the expulsion of liquid from the top, since the top 14 has a greater area than the bottom 16. However, this compartment has two sub-compartments 15, which could give the consumer even greater control over how the liquid is displaced.

The present invention aims not only to deliver both phases of a multi-state or multi-component comestible in a simultaneous fashion, but also to do so in an organoleptically pleasing manner best suited to the composition of the comestibles being delivered to the consumer's mouth. Experimentation with modifications to the apparatus is necessary for development of an apparatus that provides the most enjoyable consumption experience possible for a given comestible.

While the invention has been described in connection with one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that the specific designs that have been described are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications may be made to the design of the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A product for delivering a multi-state or multi-component comestible, the product comprising:

a sealed package;

two or more compartments within the package, wherein a first compartment contains a first component comestible and a second compartment contains a second component comestible and said first component comestible and said second component comestible are held in a divided state from each other and said first compartment surrounds said second compartment; and

an opening in said first compartment positioned around an opening in said second compartment at a same point and in a manner capable of expelling the first component comestible in a flow surrounding a flow of expelled second component comestible.

2. The product of claim 1, wherein the compartments hold separate components of the same comestible in different physical states comprising one or more of: solid, semi-solid, and liquid.

3. The product of claim 1, wherein the compartments hold separate components of a same confection in a same physical states comprising one or more of: solid, semi-solid, and liquid.

4. The product of claim 1, wherein at least one compartments in the package comprises a smaller volume than other compartment.

5. The product of claim 1, wherein the compartments are sealed in the same location, and can thereby be opened simultaneously.

6. The product of claim 1, wherein the compartments contain alcohol.

7. The product of claim 1, wherein one of the compartments contain alcohol, and the other compartment contains flavored water.

8. The product of claim 1, wherein one compartments contains alcohol, and the other compartment contains an edible, flavored gelatin-like substance.

9. The product of claim 1, wherein the shape of one opening is shaped to slow the speed of expulsion of its contents from the opening of the apparatus.

10. The product of claim 1, wherein the expulsion of one or more of the components from one or more of the tubes or compartments is restricted or controlled by a using a nozzle at the point of expulsion.

11. The product of claim 1, wherein the composition of one or more tubes or compartments is modified to slow the speed of expulsion of its contents from the opening of the product.

12. The product of claim 1, wherein the viscosity of the contents of one or more tubes or compartments is modified to slow the speed of expulsion from the opening of the product.

13. The product of claim 1, wherein the layout of one or more tubes or compartments is modified to slow the speed of expulsion of its contents from the opening.

14. The product of claim 1, wherein the product is made from a single sheet of plastic or from a roll of plastic.

15. The product of claim 1, wherein the product is made from a single sheet of plastic or from a roll of plastic suitable for use in a comestible product.

16. The product of claim 1, wherein the rate of the expulsion of contents of the product can may be affected by pressure and heat of a consumer's hand.