MC1484A1 - FOOD CONTAINER AND METHOD FOR TRIGGERING THE PRODUCTION OF AN INTEGRATED HEATER - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a food container and its process

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triggering production of an integrated heater.

There are currently many self-heating containers available. These containers have several drawbacks. For example, it is difficult to store them for several days.

Reactive products, not effectively protected in packaging, become inoperative over time, generally after fifty to seventy days.

The means used to trigger the chemical reaction that

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The heat produced to warm food varies in effectiveness.

Generally, there are several pockets of reactants: one pocket of calcium oxide or quicklime, or potassium hydroxide and orthophosphoric acid, or calcium oxide or quicklime, and one pocket of water. A method is used to puncture these pockets to allow the reaction to occur. The pocket is located in the upper part, which causes a rapid but limited exothermic reaction due to the poor mixing between the water and the reactant.

Numerous patents describe self-heating containers; however, their current design has serious drawbacks, including poor combustion of quicklime and untimely or accidental triggering of the reaction, which can be dangerous. The present invention, on the contrary, aims to increase the safety of these containers and ensure a proper reaction of all the quicklime by improving the device that triggers the reaction.

German patent 1,214,600 was designed for a well-defined mixture of fruit juice and milk, and therefore does not cover the use of reactive mixtures. US patent no. 3,085,681 also cannot be used for this type of application without risk. The water must be contained within the inner pouch; the quicklime cannot fully saturate the water due to the very arrangement of the two layers—resulting in incomplete combustion of the quicklime. Furthermore, the outer pouch would burst under the pressure of the steam released by the quicklime during the reaction, and if this did not occur, the steam would remain trapped and thus would not heat the food in a third container.

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US patent no. 3,871,357, concerning the opening of the water pouch, only opens it one time out of three or four—because the pouch is free and the tab is also free in its commercial application—but even in the patent, the risks of insecurity are significant. A sharp blade on the tab could, if the food is heavy, cut the container holding it, or puncture it by activating the tab in the off position. If there is any juice present, the reaction would be triggered immediately. By moving the container, the water pouch could puncture itself by hitting the tip of the tab, thus triggering an uncontrolled reaction. In French patent 2,348,121, the adhesive strip acts as an airtight seal for a water pouch. This is irrational, because the slightest humidity, excessive heat, or very low temperatures can detach the adhesive strip. The reaction could occur at any time and would be uncontrolled. In this French patent 2,348,121, the water pouch is attached at one end and the cord, independent of the pouch, at another end - this allows for a certain movement inside the heating tray, hence a certain risk of tearing and uncontrolled reaction of the reagent during its preparation, storage, transshipment or transport.

A Swiss process, known as POZEL, BLANCHAT, BERTRAND, is commercially available. Its design is identical, with regard to the assembly of the trays and the overall assembly, to US patent no. 2,871,357 and the aforementioned US and German patents, as well as to French patent 2,348,121 for the opening of the water pouch. The pouch is stapled at one end to a small cardboard plate, as is the opening cord, which, while independent of the pouch, is also stapled at one end to the cardboard. The entire assembly moves freely and without anchoring within the heating tray—hence a constant danger posed by the staples, which can either tear the tray containing the food—thus triggering a reaction in the juice—or pierce the heating tray and even the water pouch, causing a reaction at an inopportune moment.

It should also be noted that in all the patents cited above, the quicklime is constantly moving inside the heating tray — hence the malfunction due to lack of

total combustion or combustion in only one place in the tray, which thus does not allow perfect heating of the food contained in the upper tray where, very often, only one part is hot.

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On the other hand, existing trays have a flat water pocket covering almost the entire heating surface — which creates a barrier to the diffusion of calories to the upper tray containing the food.

The improvements made to the invention relate to the triggering of the reaction always being controlled, a complete reaction of the products, and homogeneous heating of the food products.

The self-heating tray, according to the invention, is designed by layering elements into which the heating tray, which is completely independent, is cleverly integrated. This technique meets the current safety and hygiene standards of packaging legislation.

While existing trays consist of a tray containing the food and a flexible aluminum foil heating tray containing quicklime and a water pouch, the food tray itself is never thicker than 80 microns due to financial and technical constraints related to folding. This raises concerns about accidents caused by user error, such as puncturing the bottom of the food tray, which could lead to a reaction between the food juices and the quicklime, or rupturing the water pouch, which would have the same effect.

The invention aims to "provide all the guarantees of hygiene and safety for the benefit of the user, without losing efficiency.

For this purpose, the food tray can be 80 microns or more, but it is separated from the heating tray by a vacuum of approximately 5 mm and, moreover, there is a safety seal on the heating tray reaching 40 microns, i.e., a thickness of 120 microns plus 5 mm of vacuum — the user is protected from any mishandling -

During and after the reaction is complete, the operculum remains on the

heating tray, the opening cord only causes a cut in its width in its center in the longitudinal direction, to let out the steam which will heat the tray containing the alimonts.

The invention avoids all these drawbacks.

Methods exist to preserve the reagents for thirteen to fourteen months. Methods for opening the bags allow for a gradual and complete chemical reaction.

Finally, according to variants of the invention, the container may include means allowing it to be rechargeable or, on the contrary, to be disposable.

The water pouch may include a means of controlling the water flow in order to control and possibly stop the reaction.

The container according to the invention consists of a support which has one or more compartments for the food product(s), a compartment for the reagent is mounted on slides so as to act as a drawer, the action of the drawer in the closed position causes the reaction by allowing the mixing of the reactive products with the water.

For this purpose, the support includes an opening whose inner sides have slides which allow the drawer containing the reagents to slide and be stored in said support.

A blunt or cutting means, placed at the entrance of said opening, opens the water pocket causing the mixing of the reactive products.

The self-heating tray, according to the invention, is composed of a support that serves as both a housing and a protective tray. At the bottom, this support holds the heating tray itself, and above it, the "food" tray, which contains the food products to be heated. The food tray is preferably made of aluminum foil to ensure good contact with the heating tray below. The water bladder is a flexible tube held at both ends by pads so that the tube is suspended a few tenths of a millimeter above the bottom of the heating tray. This suspension of the water bladder allows for very good distribution of the water under the heating tray when it is opened.

ve. While currently the water and quicklime quickly form balls or lumps that do not react completely. Between the food tray and the heating tray is placed an i

operculum which is also opened at the same time as the bag or the water sausage by means of triggering the reaction.

The inflatable tube, or bladder, or water container can be made of several materials ensuring a perfect seal. These materials must provide a completely watertight barrier against leaks, perspiration, or moisture.

Therefore, varnished polypropylene can be used - special polyethylene with a very high tear rate, some high or medium density polyethylene, polyester/polyethylene or polyethylene/polypropylene complexes, all with a high tear rate.

Unlike other patents, A 11 is a water tube flanked lengthwise at the center of its lower wall by a tear strip, band, or rip cord, the length of which is determined by the dimensions of the water tube, the heating tray, and the chosen opening method. This tear cord is glued, heat-welded, or otherwise attached to the tube, and its material is determined by that of the tube, as well as the sealing cap. It must allow for a perfect seal without adhering to the cap. This tear cord must be long enough to extend back and exit the support or "protective tray" through a specially designed opening, its position and diameter determined by the opening, which also serves as a steam vent. This opening is sealed during storage.

The tear cord is glued, heat-welded, or otherwise fixed externally to the lower side of the water tube. On the front ends of the water tube and the lid, on each side of the tear cord, a tear initiation point is made so that by pulling on the cord, which is positioned in the center of the water tube and the lid, a portion equal to its width or diameter is removed from both the lid and the water tube in a regular and continuous manner. This material removal, due to the tension exerted on the cord, allows the water tube, whose upper and lower walls have undergone this complete and regular cutting of a strip of material, to be

b. These walls allow for regular, complete, and rapid irrigation, thanks to the few tenths of a millimeter of space left between the heating element resting on the pads and the bottom of the heating tray. This is achieved by suspending the water element by its ends in the bottom of the heating tray. This operation, through the cut made in the lid and the complete removal of a strip equal to the width of the tab, allows the steam created by the exothermic reaction to escape, thus heating the food in the upper tray without compromising the safety provided by the thickness of the lid, which remains in place.

In the other patents, the tab or cord has only one function and one use: it tears a wall or pocket to cause mixing.

On the contrary, in the invention described above, the innovation lies in the fact that the tear strip has two distinct functions—first, to open the water seal to trigger the reaction, but also to open the lid to allow the food in the upper tray to heat. It is true that in many current trays, the lid separating the heating tray from the food tray is absent.

Removing only a small strip from the lid to allow steam to pass through enables the lid to continue its other protective function in terms of safety and hygiene.

The invention also relates to new means of triggering the reaction.

The tear strip, according to the invention, is attached to one end of the water seal, then passes between the upper part of the water seal and the lower part of the lid, and then between the upper part of the lid and the bottom of the food tray. This strip forms an S or a U shape which, firstly, tears the safety lid, and, secondly, opens the water seal.

For products that are frozen, the heating tray, according to the invention, includes some additional technical means.

Thus, in addition to the fact that the water in the heating tray is treated with antifreeze, sufficiently to reach -40°C without undergoing any physical change, as already described in the main patent, the quicklime must be vacuum-packed in the tray but must be protected from contact with the aluminum by a polystyrene or any other antifreeze and/or absorbent material or complex, so that, during the defrosting of the food and for the entire duration of this operation, any frost that may have oozed inside the heating tray will not cause premature combustion of the quicklime.

quicklime.

As in the main patent, the invention relates to the disposable tray and the refillable tray.

The refillable tray is designed primarily for use by individuals (campers, boaters, etc.) whose food preparation differs from that of Food Companies and often requires heating whole pieces of meat, such as escalopes or quiches lorraine, pizzas and others.

The tray also includes a lid which has three main functions:

— a) that of protecting food and preventing it from spilling,

— b) it can be used as a dish either for eating or for cutting,

— c) it also serves in certain cases as a drying oven.

In Nordic countries, at temperatures of -15°C or -20°C, it's difficult to properly heat food in a conventional tray. The food at the bottom would be hot, while the food on top would be cold. Therefore, the lid is made of two layers: an outer layer of polypropylene and an inner layer of either polypropylene or aluminum. Between the two layers is a gap. At the lid's attachment point, small vents connect to the chamber formed by the overlapping layers and also to the tray's heating chamber. Steam then passes through the lid, heating all the food in the tray evenly and sufficiently.

The accompanying drawings, given as indicative and non-limiting examples, allow for easy understanding of the invention; they

represent a preferred embodiment according to the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective line view, side view of the integrated heating vessel according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the container support inlet for the reagent drawer with its opening mechanism for the water pocket(s).

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a bag of reagent products.

Figure 4 is a side cross-sectional view of a disposable container with integrated heating.

Figure 5 is a side cross-sectional view of a disposable container with integrated heating.

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Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of another embodiment.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the heating tray.

Figure 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the entire tray—protective support with its heating tray and food tray.

Figure 9 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the entire tray—protective support with its heating tray and food tray and, in addition, with its lid.

The container 1, shown in Figure 1, consists of a support 2 which has one or more compartments 3 and 4. An opening 6 is provided on the side 5 of the support 2. This opening 6 allows a compartment, which contains the reactive product(s) not shown, to enter or exit like a drawer 8. The reactive products, which can be various such as calcium oxide or quicklime and water, are separated and packaged in sealed plastic bags. At the entrance 6 is arranged a cutting means 9, such as a harrow, whose prongs 10, as the bags pass through, open them and allow the reactive products to mix, thus enabling the chemical reaction and heating of the food products placed in compartments 3 and 4.

Figure 3 shows a cross-section of a bag containing the

reactants in compartments, in this case calcium oxide in compartment 11 at the periphery and water in compartment 12 in the center. Figure 2 shows the support 2 with its opening 6 on side 5. According to one variant, the opening 6 includes r

A slot 13, into which, when the drawer 8 is inserted, a tab located on the bags of reagents engages. By pushing the drawer 8 into its housing, the tab is pinched in the slot 13 and tears the bag(s) of reagent(s), causing mixing and immediately initiating the chemical reaction.

The drawer housing 8 has guide ramps 15 and 16 on its sides 14, which engage with a roller 17. This roller is part of a tilting, movable piece on which the cutting or grinding means 9 is mounted. Thus, when the drawer 8 is completely disengaged from its support 2, the tines 10 of the harrow 9 are not visible. The user places a refill of reagents in the housing 11 of said drawer. By pushing the drawer 8 into its support using the roller(s) 17, the harrow 9 tilts and comes into contact with the bags of reagents, which it immediately opens. The advantage of this embodiment is to obtain a container with integrated heating that is refillable with reagents and therefore always functional.

According to another embodiment, the container with integrated heating can be disposable. The support 18 has one or more compartments 19 for food products.

A housing 20 located below housing 19 contains the reactive products 21 (lime oxide) and 22 (the water reservoir). Housing 19, which contains the reactive products 21 and 22, is hermetically sealed by a cover 23.

An opening means 24 allows, after fracturing a protective plate or window 25, pulling on a cord 26 which opens the bag containing the water 22 and thus causes the reaction.

The said water bag can also be equipped with a means acting as a non-return valve which allows the flow of water to be regulated and thus the chemical reaction, and therefore the heating, to be controlled.

In some cases, it can be useful to store these food containers in the freezer to have frozen products. This prevents the water pouch from freezing or bursting.

No, it is useful to plan to add a product to the water that lowers the freezing point, such as emkanol or denatured alcohol.

In figure 7 we can see the heating tray 30, with the quicklime 31 and its water sausage 32. Said water sausage 32 is suspended by its ends 33 and 34, which rest on cushions 35 and 36, above the bottom 37 of said heating tray 30.

At the ends 33 of the roll 32 is fixed a tear cord 38. Said cord 38 passes, in figure 7, under the safety cover 39.

The tear cord 38 can also be arranged as shown in Figure 2. These two figures 7 and 8 clearly highlight the dual function of the tear cord 38 described above.

In figure 7 the tear cord 38 passes over the lower wall, it emerges under the end 34 between the pad 36 and the attachment point of the cushion.

In figure 8, the tear cord 38 starts from the end 33 of the water sausage 32 passes over the upper part of said sausage 32 and between the lower wall of the lid 39, it comes against the inner wall of the protective tray or tray-support 40 to come out at the level of the rim of the latter and the rim of the food tray 41.

Figure 8 also shows the support, or protective tray 11 which serves as a housing for the heating tray, but also for the food tray 41.

Figure 9 shows an embodiment of a self-heating tray, comprising a lid 42. Said lid is composed of two parts 43 and 44. The lid 42 is fixed by means of small chimneys 45 which are fixed to the chamber 46 formed by the base 47 of the food tray 41 and the lid 39 or the chamber of the heating tray 30

Claims (16)

DEMANDS 1. Food container with integrated heating characterized in that the reactive products (12,11,21,22) are packaged and stored in a sealed manner, that pouch opening means allow a progressive and complete chemical reaction to be obtained, and that control means allow control of the exothermic chemical start or stop. 2. Food container with integrated heating according to claim 1 characterized in that the support (2) has on one of its sides (5) an opening (6) which allows a drawer (8) to be put in place in which the bag of reactive products is housed. 3. Food container with integrated heating according to any one of claims 1 or 2 characterized in that on the sides (14) of the drawer are arranged guide ramps (15 and 16) which cooperate with rollers (17) arranged on either side of the side (5) of the support (2), said rollers (17) are integral with the bag opening means (9) which tilts shortly after the introduction of the drawer to open said bags of reactive products and thus initiate the reaction. 4. Food container with integrated heating according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3 characterized in that the pouch containing water can contain another product which lowers its freezing point so that said containers can be placed in the freezer, said product can be either emkanol or denatured alcohol. 5. Food container with integrated heating according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3 characterized in that the water pouch may include a means acting as a non-return valve which allows the water flow to be metered and thus the progress of the reaction to be controlled. 6. A food container with integrated heating according to any one of claims 1, 2' or 3, characterized in that the side (5) has a slot (13) into which, when the drawer (8) entered the opening (6) of the support, engage and pinch a tab of the bag(s) of reactive product by inserting said drawer (8), said tab opens along their entire length the bag(s) and thus produces the mixture and initiates the chemical reaction. y / it ! ! / It t t! 7. Food container with integrated heating according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3 characterized in that the reagent bags are composed of a sausage which has a central compartment (12) containing water and a peripheral compartment containing lime oxide or calcium hydroxide. 8. Food container with integrated heating according to claim 1 characterized in that the reactive products (21 and 22) are hermetically packed and closed by a lid (23). 9. Food container with integrated heating according to any one of claims 1 or 8 characterized in that said lid (23) has opening means which, at the same time, open the bags of reagents and cause mixing, thus starting the chemical reaction. 10. Food container with integrated heating according to any one of claims 1, 8 or 9 characterized in that the opening means (24) is a cord (26) whose operating handle is protected by a protective plate, said cord (26), when pulled, opens said lid (23) and the bags of reagents (21 and 22). 11. Food container with integrated heating according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the reactive products is packaged and stored in a sausage (32) and the triggering of the reaction is done by means of a tear cord (38) characterized in that said water sausage (32) is suspended by its ends (33 and 34) just above the bottom (37) of the heating tray (30), said ends rest on pads (35 and 36) provided for this purpose. 12. Food container with integrated heating according to claim 1 or 11, characterized in that the tear cord (38) has two functions, the first being to tear and open the water seal (32), the second being to open a passage for water vapor through the lid (39), which continues to have its protective role. 13. Food container with integrated heating, according to any one of claims 1, 11 or 12 characterized in that the support tray, or protective tray (40), contains at the bottom the heating tray (30) and above it the food tray (41), between these two trays (40 and 41) is disposed the lid (39). 14. Food container with integrated heating, according to any one of claims 1, 11, 12 or 13 or characterized by the fact that for trays which go into the freezer, quicklime is vacuum-packed in a sealed or anti-freeze or absorbent envelope so as to avoid during the defrosting period of food a seepage or melting of frost formed inside the heating tray (30) and- which would unexpectedly trigger the reaction of the quicklime (31). 15- Food container with integrated heating, according to any one of claims 1, 11, 12, 13 or 14 characterized in that there is a vacuum of about 5 millimeters between the heating tray (30) and the food tray (41), said vacuum increases the heating capacity of said device. 16. Food container with integrated heating, according to any one of claims 1, 11, 12, 13, 14 or 15 characterized in that it comprises a lid (42), composed of two walls (43 and 44), fastening means such as chimneys (45) allow its attachment to the protective tray (40) and communicate with the chamber (46) formed by the bottom (47) of the food tray (41) and the lid (39) or the chamber of the heating tray (30).