US 9,868,581 B2Granted

Microwave cooking package

AssigneeConAgra Foods RDM, Inc.

InventorsCharles Thomas Gorman, David W. France, Clifton Lachmansingh, Paul J. Warosh, Donald L. Greenwood, Joseph C. Walsh, Nicholas P. Lupfer, John D. Culter

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Microwave cooking packages suitable for use as microwave popcorn packages include at least one panel (e.g., first and second panels) formed of a vertically rigid material. A flexible portion is attached to the panels. The flexible portion may be formed of a polyester film material such as a biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, which may be at least partially transparent. The flexible portion (and panels) defines a bag construction configured to contain a popcorn charge and to be expandable between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration when the popcorn charge is subjected to a popping operation. The microwave cooking package may include a vent assembly configured to at least partially open when the bag configuration is in an expanded configuration to vent the bag construction. The vent assembly includes a first portion a second portion of the bag construction that is configured to be folded against the first portion.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A microwave popcorn package, comprising:

a packaged orientation;
and
an upright orientation, the upright orientation comprising:
a sidewall construction having a length that is greater than a height of the sidewall construction, the sidewall construction having a front side panel and a back side panel, the front side panel and the back side panel each having an upper portion, a bottom portion, a first side portion and a second side portion, wherein,
the upper portion of front side panel and the upper portion of the back side panel define a top of the microwave popcorn package,
the first side of the front side panel and the first side of the back side panel are sealed together to form a first handle portion that is vertically oriented from a top of the microwave popcorn package to a bottom of the microwave popcorn package,
the second side of the front side panel and the second side of the back side panel are sealed together to form a second handle portion that is vertically oriented from the top of the microwave popcorn package to the bottom of the microwave popcorn package, and
the bottom portion of the front side panel and the bottom portion of the back side panel have an expandable gusset therebetween;
and
a microwave interactive construction associated with at least one member of a group consisting of:
the front side panel and the back side panel.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/631,012Filed 25 Feb 2015 · continuation
Priority: 8 Jan 2007
Published: US 2015/0166242 A118 Jun 2015
Granted: 16 Jan 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

B65D 81/3469
Flexible containers, e.g. bags, pouches, envelopes: pop-corn bags
B65D 75/008
Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g.…:…
B65D 2581/3421
Characterised by the type of product to be heated or cooked: cooking pop-corn
B65D 2581/3472
Microwave reactive substances present in the packaging material: aluminium or compounds thereof

Family

Application60/879,142Us provisional application · filed 8 Jan 2007
Application11/970,349Parent of this continuation · filed 7 Jan 2008
Application12/559,094Parent of this continuation · filed 14 Sep 2009
Application12/559,094Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 14 Sep 2009
Application12/880,938Parent of this continuation · filed 13 Sep 2010
PCT/US2010/048762Parent of this continuation · filed 14 Sep 2010
Application12/953,123Parent of this continuation · filed 23 Nov 2010
US 2015/0166242 A1Pre-grant publication · published 18 Jun 2015
US 9,079,704 B2Parent of this continuation
US 8,735,786 B2Parent of this continuation
US 8,729,437 B2Parent of this continuation
US 8,610,039 B2Parent of this continuation
US 8,735,786 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
PCT/US2010/048762Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application12/880,938Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2008/0166457 A1Published application
US 2010/0068353 A1Published application
US 2011/0120992 A1Published application
US 2012/0061385 A1Published application
US 9,868,581 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.