Dough Product Packaging Assembly and Method of Packaging

Abstract

A dough product packaging assembly includes one or more dough pieces arranged a first container having a closed, internal cavity, a second container supported upon the first container with an open top portion, a third container housing one or more additional ingredients, such as icing, within the second container, and an outer container extending across the open top portion of the second container and encapsulating each of the first, second and third containers. In connection with production, transportation and consumer displaying of the product, the second container provides support and transfers weight from any cartons stacked above a lower dough product directly onto the first container, thereby allowing the outer or fourth container to act as a containment vessel only, versus something needed to directly provide vertical structural support.

Claims

1. A food product assembly comprising: a first container having first and second spaced end portions and an interior cavity; at least one dough product within the interior cavity of the first container; a second container supported on the first end portion of the first container, said second container having an opening exposing an interior compartment of the second container; a third container housed within the interior compartment of the second container; at least one additional ingredient housed within the third container; and a fourth container closely enveloping each of the first and second containers, maintaining relative positioning of the first and second containers, and extending directly across the opening of second container to maintain the third container within the second container.

2. The food product assembly of claim 1, wherein the first container includes, at the first end portion, a projecting portion, said second container being snugly received against the projecting portion.

3. The food product assembly of claim 2, wherein the second container is a tubular member which establishes a structural support for the food product assembly and the fourth container acts as a containment vessel only.

4. The food product assembly of claim 2, wherein the first container includes an end cap at the first end portion, with the end cap including a base and an upstanding rim defining the upstanding portion, said second container resting upon the base within the upstanding rim.

5. The food product assembly of claim 2, wherein the first container constitutes a tube made of paperboard and including a spiral seam, with the tube being closed at each of the first and second end portions by caps to seal the interior cavity.

6. The food product assembly of claim 5, wherein the at least one dough product comprises dough discs, one or more sheets of dough or a block of dough.

7. The food product assembly of claim 5, wherein the second container is tubular in construction with opposing open ends.

8. The food product assembly of claim 7, wherein the third container comprises a sealed pouch, cup or can.

9. The food product assembly of claim 8, wherein the at least one additional ingredient housed in the third container constitutes icing, garlic, cheese or butter.

10. The food product assembly of claim 8, wherein the fourth container is a thin, light weight paperboard carton or shrink wrap film.

11. The food product assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one dough product is configured to make including cookies, bread, biscuits, rolls, croissants, pie crust or pizza dough.

12. A method of packaging a dough product comprising: closing off a first end portion of a first container; loading at least one dough product into an interior cavity of the first container; closing off a second end portion of the first container; supporting a second container on the second end portion of the first container while exposing an internal compartment of the second container through an opening; loading a third container housing an additional ingredient into the internal compartment of the second container through the opening; and closely enveloping each of the first and second containers with a fourth container, with the fourth container maintaining relative positioning of the first and second containers and extending directly across the opening of second container to maintain the third container within the second container.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein supporting the second container on the second end portion of the first container includes snugly receiving the second container within a projecting portion at the second end portion of the first container.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein closing off the second end portion of the first container includes mounting an end cap at the second end portion, with the end cap including a base and an upstanding rim defining the upstanding portion, and wherein supporting the second container on the second end portion includes resting the second container upon the base within the upstanding rim.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second container is tubular in construction with opposing open ends and wherein supporting the second container on the second end portion of the first container includes supporting one of the opposing open ends on the base.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein supporting the second container on the second end portion of the first container establishes the second container as a structural support for the food product assembly, with the fourth container acting as a containment vessel only.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein enveloping each of the first and second containers with the fourth container includes either placing the first, second and third containers in a thin, light weight paperboard carton or shrink wrapping a film about the first, second and third containers.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein loading at least one dough product into the first container includes inserting dough discs, one or more sheets of dough or a block of dough into the interior cavity.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein loading the third container into the second compartment includes placing a sealed pouch, cup or can of icing, garlic, cheese or butter into the internal compartment.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a dough product constructed in accordance with the invention.

[0009] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the dough product of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

[0010] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a canned dough product provided in a food product generally indicated at 2. As will be detailed more fully below, food product 2 includes first, second, third and fourth containers 5-8 respectively (note fourth container 8 is shown in dotted in FIG. 1 just to visually expose first, second and third containers 5-7). First container 5 takes the form of a tube 5 having an outer surface 10 and an inner surface 11. In the embodiment shown, tube 5 is made of paperboard and includes a spiral seam 13. Tube 5 is closed at both ends, such as with first and second end caps 15 and 16 which are crimped or otherwise secured to longitudinally spaced end portions of tube 5 to establish a closed, interior cavity 20. Cap 15 includes a base 22 (see FIG. 2) and a projecting portion which, in the preferred embodiment shown, is constituted by an upstanding peripheral rim portion 24 extending annularly about base 22. Cap 16 is correspondingly constructed.

[0011] Interior cavity 20 is configured to contain one or more dough products. In the embodiment depicted, interior cavity 20 is shown to house a plurality of stacked dough products 26-33 (see FIG. 1) in the form of dough discs used to make biscuits. However, at this point, it should be realized that the invention can be utilized in packaging various different types of dough products, including dough discs, one or more sheets of dough or even a block of dough, for making a wide range of final products, including cookies, bread, biscuits, rolls, croissants, pie crust, pizza dough and the like.

[0012] As shown, second container 6 extends above dough products 26-33. More specifically, second container 6 is sized to be snuggly received inside upstanding rim portion 24 and rests directly upon base 22 and against rim portion 24 of end cap 16. In accordance with a preferred form of the invention, second container 6 is tubular in construction with opposing open ends. However, at the very least, second container 6 includes an opening 36 (shown as an open top portion) leading to an interior compartment 39. In accordance with the invention, second container 6 is designed to fully receive and house third container 7 within compartment 39.

[0013] Third container 7 can take various forms, such as a sealed pouch (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), cup or can, and contains additional ingredients for use with the dough products 26-33 in order to complete or enhance enjoyment of the final cooked dough product. For instance, in the case of the illustrated embodiment wherein dough products 26-33 constitute discs used to make biscuits, third container 7 can be employed to contain icing which can be spread upon the cooked biscuits. In other embodiments, third container 7 can contain other ingredients, such as garlic, cheese, butter or the like. Although only one third container 7 is shown, one or more additional ingredient containers could be provided in upper compartment 39 to store the additional ingredient(s).

[0014] Finally, the first, second and third containers 5-7 are surrounded by the fourth container 8 to establish food product 2. Here, it is important that fourth container 8 closely envelopes each of the first and second containers 5 and 6, thereby extending directly across opening 36 of second container 6 to maintain the relative positioning between second container 6 and first container 5, as well as maintaining third container 7 within second container 6. With a top portion (not separately labeled) of fourth container 8 essentially extending directly atop second container 6, second container 6 acts as a structural support while creating the void of space which establishes compartment 39 for third container 7.

[0015] During initial packaging, one end of first container 10 is closed, such as with end cap 15, and then first container 10 is loaded with the one or more dough pieces 26-33. As indicated above, the dough piece(s) can take various forms, such as a rolled dough sheet or individually stacked dough discs. After loading, the opposite end of first container 10 is sealed, such as by crimping on end cap 16. Thereafter, second container 6 is supported atop base 22 and within the confines of upstanding rim 24 of first container 5 and loaded, through opening 36, with third container 7. Finally, first, second and third containers 5-7 are surrounded by fourth container 8 which closely envelopes first container 5 and second container 6, while extending directly across open top portion 36 of second container 6 to maintain third container 7 within compartment 39 in establishing food product 2. As discussed above, dough products 26-33 at least partially proof within container 5. That is, as is known in the art, the dough includes a leavening agent, such as yeast, which will cause dough products 26-33 to expand within container 6 and the pressure within container 6 to increase. Certainly, container 6 is made to withstand this pressure change and, in connection with the invention, this expansion and pressure change does not affect the other components of food product 2 so there is no concern with third container 7 bursting.

[0016] Although described with reference to preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that various changes and/or modification can be made without departing from the invention. In connection with mass production, product transportation and consumer displaying of food product 2, the overall arrangement particularly allows the use of vertical shelf space more efficiently and reduces the need to make a wider, shorter carton. The second container 6 advantageously provides support and transfers weight from any cartons stacked above a lower dough product during shipment directly onto first container 5. This arrangement allows the outermost or fourth container 8 to act as a containment vessel only versus something needed to directly provide vertical structural support. Therefore, fourth container 8 can be made of a thin, light weight material, such as thin paperboard. On the other hand, other materials could be employed, such as a film which shrink or otherwise wraps together first, second and third containers 5-7. If a transparent material is used for fourth container 8, product information can be provided on outer surface 10 of first container 5 and also perhaps the exposed surface (not separately labeled) of second container 6. However, if an opaque material is used for fourth container 8, the outside of container 8 would provide product information. Of course, fourth container 8 could constitute a hybrid package, such as a paperboard carton with a transparent window portion, in which case multiple containers of the invention could present product information. In addition, it should be noted that the sizes and shapes of the various containers employed in connection with the invention are not limited to those depicted but rather other complementary container configurations could be employed, including a wide range of polygon designs.