Abstract
A packet (10) for french fries comprising a bottom (11), side walls, a front- and a back-wall (12) and a closable lid (13), which packet has a total surface area and is provided with perforations (8, 8) that collectively have an open area which is set at a preselected ratio of the total surface area, wherein said perforations are provided in the lid and in the front- and back-wall. The packet is made from a one-piece plano (1) comprising a connecting member (2) that connects on opposite sides of said member to a first and a second side member (3, 4). The first and the second side member are each tapering with an increasing width with increasing distance from the connecting member, wherein said width is measured perpendicularly to a body axis (5) extending through the first and second side member and the connecting member.
Claims
1. A packet for french fries having a surface area, the packet comprising: a bottom, sidewalls, a front wall, a backwall, a lid, and perforations, wherein the perforations collectively have an area at a preselected ratio of the surface area of the packet, wherein the perforations are at least provided in the lid, the front wall, and the backwall, wherein the perforations in the front wall and the backwall are substantially restricted to an area that extends from the bottom up to about one-third of a total height of the front wall and back wall.
2. The packet of claim 1, wherein the preselected ratio is in the range from about 3% to about 10%.
3. The packet of claim 1, wherein the perforations are at least in part embodied as openings next to the lid.
4. The packet of claim 1, wherein the bottom is concave.
5. The packet of claim 1, further comprising at least one member of a group consisting of: an open area in the lid is larger than an open area of perforations in the front wall and back wall, and an open area of perforations in the openings next to the lid is larger than an open area of perforations in the front wall and backwall.
6. The packet of claim 1, wherein the perforations in the front wall and the backwall have dimensions to prevent passing of fries through the perforations.
7. The packet of claim 1, wherein the front wall and the backwall taper outwardly from the bottom to the lid.
8. The packet of claim 1, wherein the packet is made from one piece of material.
9. The packet of claim 1, wherein the packet is made from a plano.
10. A one-piece plano for a packet of french fries, comprising: a connecting member that connects on opposite sides of the connecting member to first and second side members, wherein the first and the second side members are each tapered with an increasing width from the connecting member; and an extension piece which is embodied as a lid, wherein one of the first and second side members connects to the extension piece, wherein the first side member, the second side member and the extension piece are provided with perforations, wherein the perforations in the first side member and the second side member are provided in a region spanning about one-third a length of the first side member and the second side member and is adjacent to the connecting member.
11. The one-piece plano of claim 10, wherein the perforations in the front wall and the backwall have dimensions to prevent passing of fries through the perforations.
12. The one-piece plano of claim 10, further comprising at least one member of a group consisting of: an open area provided by the perforations in the first side member is smaller than an open area of the perforations in the extension piece, and an open area provided by the perforations in the second side member is smaller than an open area of the perforations in the extension piece.
13. The one-piece plano of claim 10, wherein the plano has a surface area and the perforations have a collective open area, wherein the ratio of the open area and the surface area is in the range of about 3% to about 10%.
Description
(1) The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated with reference to the drawing of an exemplary embodiment of an packet and a plano according to the invention that is not limiting as to the appended claims.
(2) In the drawing:
(3) FIG. 1 shows a plano for a packet for french fries according to the invention;
(4) FIG. 2 shows a top view of the packet for french fries according to the invention with closed lid;
(5) FIGS. 3 and 4 show side views of the packet for french fries according to the invention;
(6) FIG. 5 shows a bottom view of the packet for french fries according to the invention;
(7) FIG. 6 shows an isometric view of the packet for french fries according to the invention with closed lid;
(8) FIG. 7 shows the packet of FIG. 6 with open lid;
(9) FIG. 8 schematically shows seven samples of packets that have been comparatively investigated in a crunchiness test on different qualities of fries packed in these packets;
(10) FIG. 9 shows the results of the crunchiness test for each packet-sample as applied with three different qualities of fries in the size 66; and
(11) FIG. 10 shows the results of the crunchiness test for each packet-sample applied with three different qualities of fries in the size 99.
(12) Whenever in the figures the same reference numerals are applied, these numerals refer to the same parts.
(13) In a comparative testing on the duration of maintaining crunchiness of french fries packed in different types of packets, the packet of the invention has been compared with packets with perforations in different varieties, as will be discussed hereinafter. First however the plano and the packet of the invention will be discussed. Making reference to FIG. 1 a one-piece plano 1 is shown for a packet for french fries, which comprises an essentially circular connecting member 2 that connects on opposite sides of said member 2 to a first side member 3 and a second side member 4. It is to be understood however that the connecting member 2 can also be elliptical or oval, or even rectangular. The first side member 3 and the second side member 4 are each tapering with an increasing width with increasing distance from the connecting member 2, wherein said width is measured perpendicularly to a body axis 5 extending through the first and second side member 3, 4 and the connecting member 2.
(14) FIG. 1 also shows that the first side member 3 connects to an extension piece 6 which is embodied to serve as a lid in a configuration of the plano wherein it is assembled into a packet as shown in the FIGS. 2-7 to be discussed hereinafter. Obviously the extension piece 6 could instead of being provided to the first side member 3, also be provided as an extension to the second side member 4. It is of course also possible that the extension piece 6 is split in half, wherein each one of the side members 3, 4 connects to one of the halves.
(15) In the shown embodiment of FIG. 1 the second side member 4 is provided with a rim or rims 7 for connecting to the first side member 3 when it is assembled into the packet of the invention shown in FIGS. 2-7. It will however be clear for the artisan that the rim or rims can also be provided on the first side member 3 for connecting to the second side member 4, or that both members 3, 4 may have such a rim for connecting to the other member. Said rims 7 may eventually form sidewalls of the ready packet.
(16) FIG. 1 further shows that the first side member 3, the second side member 4 and the extension piece 6 are provided with perforations 8, 8. It is however feasible that not each member 3, 4 is provided with perforations 8, although the extension piece 6 is always provided with perforations 8. Optimal results are achieved in the embodiment as shown in FIG. 1. It is preferred that the open area of the perforations 8 in the first side member 3 and/or the second side member 4 is smaller than the open area of the perforations 8 in the extension piece 6. Consequently in the packet of the invention made from this plano as for instance shown in FIG. 6 the open surface area created by the perforations 8 in the front- and back-wall 12 will be smaller than the open surface area of the lid 13, including any openings 8 at the sides near to the lid 13 that add to the functionality of the openings 8 in the lid 13. In practice it is preferred that the perforations 8 in the first member 3 and/or the second member 4 prevent passing of fries with sizes 66 mm and/or 99 mm.
(17) It can further be inferred from FIG. 1 that the perforations 8 in the first member 3 and/or the second member 4 are provided in a region spanning a maximum of one third of said members' length, which region is adjacent to the connecting member 2. All in all it is advantageous for the achievements of the packet of the invention shown in FIGS. 2-7 that the plano 1 has a total surface area and is provided with perforations 8, 8 that collectively have an open area, wherein a ratio of the open area and the total surface area is set in the range of 3-10%.
(18) Turning now to FIG. 6 a packet 10 for french fries according to the invention is shown in isometric view, which packet 10 is manufactured from a plano 1 as shown in FIG. 1, and which comprises a bottom 11 as shown in FIG. 5, and front- and back-walls 12 connected to each other with sidewalls as can be best seen in FIG. 4. The packet 10 measures to a total surface area, and is provided with perforations 8, 8 that collectively have an open area which is set at a preselected ratio of said total surface area, which is set in the range of 3-10%. FIG. 6 also shows that apart from the perforations that are provided in the front- and back-wall 12, the packet 10 has a closable lid 13 as also shown in FIG. 2, wherein perforations 8 are also provided in said lid 13. Further there may be openings 8 next to the lid 13 with the same functionality as the perforations 8 in the lid 13.
(19) FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 both show that the packet 10 is capable of freestanding and that the perforations 8 in the front- and back-wall 12 are restricted to an area in the vicinity of the bottom 11. It can be derived from these figures that the bottom's vicinity extends from the bottom 11 up to approximately a third of the front- and back-wall's total height. In FIG. 7 the packet 10 of the invention is shown with open lid 13, as opposed to FIG. 6 in which the packet 10 of the invention is shown with closed lid 13.
(20) According to the invention it is preferred that the open area of the perforations 8 in the lid 13 and/or the openings 8 next to the lid 13 is larger than the open area of the perforations 8 in the side walls 12 at the bottom's vicinity.
(21) Preferably the perforations 8 in the front- and back-wall 12 are provided with dimensions to prevent passing of fries with sizes 66 mm and/or 99 mm.
(22) FIGS. 3, 5 and 7 show that it is preferable that the bottom 11 of the packet is concave so as to prevent that the fries in the packet are piling up on each other without leaving any room between them, which would hinder or even prevent the escape of moisture from the piled up fries in the packet.
(23) It can be best seen from the side view of FIG. 3, but also from FIG. 6 that the front- and back-wall 12 taper away from each other when looked from the bottom 11 upwards. The combination of FIG. 4 with FIG. 6 shows that the front- and back-wall 12 smoothly convert into each other so as to provide the packet 10 with a substantially rounded exterior, particularly at the sidewalls connecting the front- and back-wall 12. Finally it is remarked that the packet 10 of the invention is preferably made out of one piece of material, such as the plano 1 of FIG. 1.
(24) The beneficial results of the invention will hereinafter be further discussed in the following discussion of a comparative investigation concerning the duration that crunchiness of french fries of three different qualities is maintained depending on the type of packet used for holding the fries. The investigated packets are shown schematically in FIG. 8, wherein; 8.1 depicts a standard packet without any perforations; 8.2 depicts a packet with perforations only in the lid (as known from US2015/0028088); 8.3 depicts a packet with perforations halfway in the middle of the front- and back-wall; 8.4 depicts a packet with perforations in the sidewalls only (as known from US2015/0028088); 8.5 depicts a packet with perforations in the bottom region of the front- and back-wall; 8.6 depicts a packet with perforations in the lid and in the sidewalls (as known from US2015/0028088); and 8.7 depicts a packet with perforations provided in the lid and in the front- and back-wall in accordance with the invention.
(25) FIGS. 9 and 10 show histograms corresponding with the time duration that crunchiness of three different qualities of french fries are maintained in the tested packets, for each of the mentioned packets shown in FIG. 8. FIGS. 9 and 10 refer to the tested packets by the packet indications 8.1-8.7. In FIG. 9 the results are shown with 66 fries, whereas in FIG. 10 the results are shown with 99 fries. The qualities of fries that are investigated are regular fries, coated fries, and a top-notch hot development of superior fries that the applicant contemplates to market as Hot2Home fries.
(26) The results collected in FIGS. 9 and 10 respectively for 66 and 99 fries consistently show that best results are achieved with any type of fries when packet 8.7 is used which is embodied in accordance with the features of the invention as discussed hereinabove and specified in the appended claims.
(27) Although the invention has been discussed in the foregoing with reference to an exemplary embodiment of the packet and the plano of the invention, the invention is not restricted thereto and can be varied in many ways without departing from the invention. The discussed exemplary embodiment of the packet and plano shall therefore not be used to construe the appended claims strictly in accordance therewith. On the contrary the shown embodiment of the packet and plano are merely intended to explain the wording of the appended claims without intent to limit the claims thereto. The scope of protection of the invention shall therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims only, wherein a possible ambiguity in the wording of the claims shall be resolved using this exemplary embodiment of the packet and plano.
