# US 8,784,917 B2 · Food product

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 8,784,917 B2
- Document ID: US8784917B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/698,993
- Filed: 2011-05-17
- Published: 2013-06-06
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2010-05-21
- Applicants: Claude Sebban
- Inventors: Claude Sebban
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8784917B2

## CPC

- B65D 81/3211: {coaxially and provided with means facilitating admixture}
- A23L 5/15: {using wave energy, irradiation, electrical means or magnetic fields, e.g. oven cooking or roasting using radiant dry heat}
- A23L 23/00: Soups; Sauces (soya sauce A23L27/50; salad dressings, mayonnaise or ketchup A23L27/60); Preparation or treatment thereof
- A23L 35/00: Foods or foodstuffs not provided for in groups A23L5/00 - A23L33/00; Preparation or treatment thereof (preservation thereof A23B)
- B65D 51/2835: {ruptured by a sharp element, e.g. a cutter or a piercer}
- B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B)

## Abstract

The invention concerns a new food product (1) in the form of a meal comprising food (4) and a sauce (5), intended to be mixed for consumption of the meal, in closed packaging (1) comprising a container (2) in which the food (4) is placed and a lid (3) in which the sauce (5) is placed, the sauce being separated from the food by a seal (7) which closes off the part of the lid (3) facing the food (4) characterized in that the container (2) comprises a mechanism (11) to tear the seal (7) when the lid (3) is turned concurrently to the container (2) between a pre-tearing position of the seal (7) and a tearing position of the seal (7).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A packaged food product including a food component (4) and a sauce (5) provided in packaging (1), the packaging comprising:
a container (2) containing the food component (4); and
a lid (3) rotatably engageable with the container (2) about an axis of rotation and in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, the lid selectively closing the container (2) and having an open concavity into which the sauce (5) is received, the sauce (5) being selectively separated from the food component (4) by a seal (7) closing off the open concavity of the lid (3) facing the food component (4) in the container (2),
wherein the container (2) comprises a tearing mechanism (11) constructed and arranged to selectively tear the seal (7) along a circumferential direction when the lid (3) is rotated about the axis of rotation between a pre-tearing position and a tearing position,
wherein the open concavity of the lid (3) is defined by an edge portion of the lid (3) that lies in a plane skewed to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the lid (3), the seal (7) being fixed to the edge portion such that the seal (7) likewise lies in the skewed plane, wherein in the pre-tearing position of the lid (3), the tearing mechanism (11) is spaced away from the seal along the direction of the axis of rotation of the lid (3), and in the tearing position the tearing mechanism (11) is relatively closer to the seal (7) to permit tearing of the seal (7);
wherein the sauce (5) rests substantially on the seal (7) above the food component (4) when the lid (3) is engaged with the container (2), such that the sauce (5) can fall onto the food component (4) when the seal (7) is torn.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The food product according to claim 1, wherein the container (2) includes a radially extending stepped support portion having a radially inner circumferential support rim (15) and a radially outward circumferential portion (17) raised higher in the direction of the axis of rotation than the radially inward circumferential support rim (15), wherein the lid (3) includes a radially extending support (16) shoulder sized and arranged to be rotatably received in cooperation with the radially inner circumferential support rim (15) of the container (2).

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The food product according to claim 2, wherein the support shoulder (16) of the lid (3) lies substantially coplanar with the radially outward circumferential portion (17) of the container (2), wherein the packing further comprises a removable tamper-proof seal (18) extending over the support shoulder (16) and the radially outward circumferential portion (17) for positionally fixing the lid (3) relative to the container (2) and for providing a hermetic seal therebetween.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The food product according to claim 1, wherein the packaging is made from a material that is one or more of transparent to microwave energy, and suitable for food industry sterilization processes.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The food product according to claim 1, wherein the tearing mechanism (11) comprises a mechanical cutting element.

### Claim 6

Food packaging adapted for storing first and second food components separately and for combining them before consumption, the packaging comprising:
a container; and
a lid rotatably engageable with the container about an axis of rotation coincident with a central axis of the container, the lid selectively closing the container and having an open concavity selectively separated from an interior of the container by a seal closing off the open concavity of the lid,
wherein the container comprises a tearing mechanism constructed and arranged to selectively tear the seal along a circumferential direction when the lid is rotated between a pre-tearing position and a tearing position,
wherein the open concavity of the lid is defined by an edge portion of the lid that lies in a plane skewed to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the lid, the seal being fixed thereto to the edge portion such that the seal likewise lies in the skewed plane, wherein in the pre-tearing position of the lid, the tearing mechanism is spaced away from the seal along the direction of the axis of rotation of the lid, and in the tearing position the tearing mechanism is relatively closer to the seal to permit tearing of the seal, such that the torn portion of the seal is at a lower most position relative to the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the lid.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The packaging according to claim 6, wherein the container includes a radially extending stepped support portion generally lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the lid and having a radially inner circumferential support rim and a radially outward circumferential portion raised higher in the direction of the axis of rotation than the radially inward circumferential support rim, wherein the lid includes a radially extending support shoulder sized and arranged to be received in rotatable cooperation with the radially inner circumferential support rim of the container.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The packaging according to claim 7, wherein the support shoulder of the lid lies substantially coplanar with the radially outward circumferential portion of the container, wherein the packing further comprises a removable tamper-proof seal extending over the support shoulder and the radially outward circumferential portion for positionally fixing the lid relative to the container and for providing a hermetic seal therebetween.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The packaging according to claim 6, wherein the lid, container, and seal are made from a material that is one or more of transparent to microwave energy and suitable for food industry sterilization processes.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The packaging according to claim 6, wherein the tearing mechanism comprises a mechanical cutting element.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The packaging according to claim 6, wherein the seal is a film.

### Claim 12

A method of storing and preparing a food product comprising first and second food components for consumption, the method comprising:
providing an open container containing the first food component, the container including a seal tearing mechanism;
selectively engaging a concave lid with the container to close the container, a second food component being provided in a concavity of the lid and being selectively separated from the first food component by a seal closing off the concavity of the lid and retaining the second food component therein, wherein the lid is in rotatable engagement with the container about an axis of rotation between a pre-tearing position and a tearing position at which the tearing mechanism tears the seal, the concavity of the lid being defined by an edge portion lying in a plane skewed relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, the seal being fixed to the edge portion such that the seal likewise lies in the skewed plane;
prior to consumption, rotating the lid between the pre-tearing position and the tearing position such that the seal is moved towards the seal tearing mechanism in a direction along the axis of rotation until the seal tearing mechanism tears the seal at the tearing position; and
permitting the second food component to leave the concavity of the lid via the tear in seal formed by the seal tearing mechanism, without fully separating the seal from the lid.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method according to claim 12, further comprising, prior to consumption and prior to tearing the seal, agitating the closed container to mix the first and second food components.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method according to claim 12, further comprising heating the first and second food components prior to tearing the seal.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method according to claim 14, wherein heating the first and second food components comprises heating the first and second food components with a microwave energy.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The method according to claim 12, further comprising:
after engaging the lid to the container, hermetically sealing the lid relative to the container thereby preventing rotation of the lid relative to the container; and
prior to rotating the lid between the pre-tearing position and the tearing position, unsealing the lid and container from one another.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The method according to claim 12, wherein rotating the lid comprises rotating the lid relative to a single plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation.