MECHANISM FOR PRECISELY FILLING CONTAINERS

Abstract

A mechanism for precisely filling containers such as plastic bags with cooked food to be frozen later is disclosed. The mechanism includes a base and a funnel. The base includes a planar portion for mounting upon a flat surface and a hollow sleeve unitary with and oriented transverse to the planar portion. The sleeve is hollow and is sized to contain a container such as a plastic bag. The funnel has an inlet portion into which cooked food is introduced, an outlet portion sized to be insertable into a container such as a plastic bag, and a flange unitary with the inlet and outlet portions. An inner surface of the inlet portion includes a fill line, for enabling the container to be precisely filled with cooked food.

Claims

1. A mechanism for precisely filling containers with cooked food to be frozen, comprising: a base (35) consisting essentially of: a planar portion (14) mountable upon a surface, and a hollow sleeve (18) unitary with and oriented transverse to the planar portion (14), wherein the sleeve (18) has an upper edge margin (60) and includes an internal region dimensioned and configured for containing a hollow container (20) having an opening (45); and a funnel (40) consisting essentially of: an inlet portion (42) into which cooked food to be frozen is introduced, an outlet portion (43) dimensioned and configured to be removably disposable through the container opening (45) for enabling cooked food to be introduced into and contained within the container (20), and a flange (44) between and unitary with the inlet and outlet portions (42, 43), wherein the container (20) is removably disposed within the sleeve (18), wherein the outlet portion (43) is removably disposed through the container opening (45), and wherein an inner surface of the outlet portion (43) includes a fill line (70), for enabling the container (20) to be filled precisely to a predetermined level with cooked food to be frozen.

2. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the funnel (40) has a top edge (12) and a bottom edge (16), and wherein the funnel inlet portion (42) defines a quasi-frustoconical side section, so that the top edge 12 defines a larger opening than the bottom edge 16.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0012] FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of an embodiment of the present subject matter.

[0013] FIG. 2 is an exploded, frontal view of the two-piece embodiment depicted in FIG. 1.

[0014] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a three-piece embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a partially assembled, front elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 3.

[0016] FIG. 5 is an assembled, front elevational view of the present subject matter in use.

[0017] FIG. 6 depicts a now filled container, separated from components of the invention.

[0018] FIG. 7 illustrates yet another two-piece embodiment of the present subject matter.

[0019] FIG. 8 presents a partially exploded, front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

[0020] Throughout FIGS. described above and the following detailed description, similar reference numerals are used to refer to similar components of the present subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] One embodiment of the present subject matter is directed to a two-component mechanism or device 10 (see FIGS. 1, 2) designed, sized, and configured to precisely fill a container 20 (FIGS. 3, 4)e.g., bag, envelope, pouch, sack, sleeve, etc.with food for future consumption. More particularly, containers 20 of predetermined wall thickness and volumetric capacity (e.g., quart-size containers, gallon-size containers) are precisely filled with the cooked food for purposes of freezing the precisely filled food containers 20.

[0022] The present subject matter, a mechanism or device 10, which is designed to be used to precisely fill containers 20 with cooked food (often still hot) to be frozen, includes a base 35 portion and a funnel 40 portion. (FIG. 2.) The base 35 consists essentially of a planar portion 14 and a hollow sleeve 18 portion that is unitary with the planar portion 14. The planar portion 14 is sized and adapted to be placed firmly upon a horizontal surface (e.g., an upper surface of a table, a countertop, an upper surface of a stove or oven). The sleeve 18, oriented transverse to planar portion 14, has an open upper-edge margin 60.

[0023] The hollow sleeve 18 defines an internal region sized and configured to encircle a container 20 (FIGS. 3, 4) having an opening 45 at one end portion. Adjacent the opening is an openable and re-sealable sliding plastic zipper 50 (FIG. 3) based in part upon U.S. Pat. No. 2,613,421 to Madsen and U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,094 to Tomic, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. The container 20, preferably a plastic bag for aseptic packaging of food products, is based in part on U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,661 to Johnson, incorporated by reference in its entirety. Additional design features of the bag or container of the present subject matter are described in detail in this patent specification. For instance, to avoid freezer burn, it might become necessary for the plastic zipper 50 to incorporate additional elements integral with a plastic bag or container 20, such as interlocking rib-and-groove elements disclosed in U.S. Reissue Pat. No. 28,969 to Naito and U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,337 to Kamp, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0024] The funnel 40 (FIG. 2) consists essentially of an upper portion 42, a lower portion 43, and an intermediate portion or flange 44 between and unitary with the upper and lower portions 42 and 43 of the funnel 40. The lower portion 43 of the funnel 40 is dimensioned and configured to fit through the opening 45 (FIG. 3) of a container 20 through which cooked food, often hot, passes. (FIGS. 3-5.) The flange 44 of the funnel 40 is sized and shaped to be flatly supported upon an upper surface of the open-end edge margin 60 (FIGS. 2-6) of the hollow sleeve 18. A bottom edge 16 of the lower portion 43 is open (FIG. 1) while a top edge 12 of the upper portion 42, also open, extends upwardly and away from the lower portion 43, so that the upper portion 42 defines a quasi-frustoconical section (FIG. 1), with the top edge 12 defining a larger opening than the bottom edge 16.

[0025] Embodiments of the base 35 and funnel 40 portions (FIG. 2) of the mechanism or device 10 described above are preferably dimensioned, adapted, and configured to be used in connection with bags or containers 20 having a volumetric capacity of about 950 milliliters which a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) knows is about one US quart.

[0026] To achieve assembled operation, the bottom edge 16 of the lower portion 43 of the funnel 40 is first disposed through the opening 45 of the 950-milliliter (one quart) bag or container 20 (FIGS. 3-4). Thereafter, the bag or container 20 is disposed through the open-end edge margin 60 of the sleeve 18 and then into its hollow interior (FIGS. 4-5). Next, cooked food 22 (of predetermined particle size) is introduced into the upper portion 42 of the funnel 40, and passed through the lower portion 43, to collect within the bag or container 20, as shown in FIG. 5. As soon as a level of cooked food 22 filling the bag or container 20 reaches a predetermined fill line 70 (FIG. 1), transfer of cooked food 22 into funnel 40 ceases. Then, the funnel 40 is removed from bag or container 20; next, the bag or container 20 is removed from hollow sleeve 18 (FIG. 6); and air above the cooked food 22 is removed, while the sliding plastic zipper 50 is used to seal the bag or container 20.

[0027] A second embodiment 24 of the present subject matter is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Bags or containers used in connection with the second embodiment 24 have a volumetric capacity of about 3.8 liters, which a person of ordinary skill in the art knows is about one US gallon. The second embodiment 24 is also designed to be used to precisely fill bags or containers with cooked food (often hot) to be frozen later. A mechanism or device of the second embodiment 24 includes a base 135 and a funnel 140. The base 135 consists essentially of a planar portion 26 and a hollow sleeve 30 unitary with the planar portion 26. The planar portion 26 is sized and adapted to be placed firmly on a horizontal surface (e.g., an upper surface of a table, a countertop, an upper surface of a stove or oven). The sleeve 30, oriented transverse to planar portion 26, has an open upper-edge margin 137.

[0028] The second embodiment 24, with its own fill line (not shown), is similarly used to precisely fill 3.8-liter (one-gallon, US) bags or containers with cooked food. Additional embodiments could be made to fill larger or smaller bags or containers. The funnel 140 consists essentially of an upper portion 142, a lower portion 143, and an intermediate portion or flange 144 between and unitary with the upper and lower portions 142 and 143 of the funnel 140. The lower portion 143 of the funnel 140 is sized and configured to fit into the opening of a 3.8-liter bag or container (not show) into (and through) which cooked (often hot) food (to be frozen) passes for containment within the bag or container. The flange 144 of the funnel 140 is dimensioned and configured to be flatly supported upon an upper surface of the open-end edge margin 137 of the hollow sleeve 30. A bottom edge 28 of the lower portion 143 of the funnel 140 defines an outlet. A top edge 32 of the upper portion 142 of the funnel 140 defines an inlet. Sides of the upper portion 142 extend upwardly and away from the flange 144, so that the upper portion 142 defines an upwardly disposed, outwardly expanding section (the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7,8 is six-sided), with the top edge 32 of the funnel 140 defining a larger opening than its bottom edge 28.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0029] The base and funnel components of the mechanism or device of the embodiments of the present subject matter could be manufactured from an assortment of commercially available and suitable, food-grade polymeric or various other suitable materials. For instance, conventional injection-molding machines could be used to manufacture base and funnel components from select food-grade polymeric materials.

[0030] Illustrated and described in this patent specification is a mechanism or device for precisely filling containers with cooked food. While the present subject matter has been illustrated and described in relation to two embodiments, the present subject matter is not limited only to these embodiments. On the contrary, many alternatives, changes, and/or modifications will become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) after reading this patent specification in connection with its drawing figures. Therefore, all such alternatives, changes, and modifications are to be viewed as forming a part of the present subject matter insofar as they fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.