Microwave Cooking Bag

Abstract

A microwavable bag for cooking food is disclosed. The bag may have holes or vents that may allow the release of steam and heat from the interior of the bag during the microwave cooking process. The bag may also include a top lid and a bottom lid that may be configured to lock together when the bag is in a compact state. This allows for easy transportation of the bag. The bag may expand during the microwave cooking process and be opened safely to consume the food. Food to be cooked within the bag may include popcorn kernels or other food.

Claims

1. A package for cooking food in a microwave oven, comprising: an expandable bag with an interior for containing and cooking food, an exterior, a top opening and a bottom opening; a top lid configured to cover the top opening; a bottom lid configured to cover the bottom opening; and attachment members configured to attach the top lid to the bottom lid.

2. The package of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of holes that extend from the interior to the exterior that allow the release of steam from the interior of the package during the microwave cooking process.

3. The package of claim 2, wherein the plurality of holes are in the top lid.

4. The package of claim 1, wherein the food is popcorn kernels.

5. The package of claim 1, wherein the bag is formed with accordion-like folds that facilitate its transition between a compact state and an expanded state and vice versa.

6. The package of claim 1, wherein the bag expands during the microwave cooking process.

7. The package of claim 1, wherein the top lid is removable.

8. The package of claim 1, further comprising a panel in the top lid that can be opened while the top lid covers the top opening.

9. A package for cooking food in a microwave oven, comprising: an expandable bag with an interior for containing and cooking food, an exterior, a top opening and a bottom opening; a top lid configured to cover the top opening; a bottom lid configured to cover the bottom opening; attachment members configured to attach the top lid to the bottom lid; and a plurality of holes that extend from the interior to the exterior that allow the release of steam from the interior of the package during the microwave cooking process.

10. The package of claim 9, wherein the plurality of holes are in the top lid.

11. The package of claim 9, wherein the food is popcorn kernels.

12. The package of claim 9, wherein the bag is formed with accordion-like folds that facilitate its transition between a compact state and an expanded state.

13. The package of claim 12, wherein the bag expands during the microwave cooking process.

14. The package of claim 9, wherein the top lid is removable.

15. The package of claim 9, further comprising a panel in the top lid that can be opened while the top lid is covering the top opening.

16. A package for cooking popcorn kernels in a microwave oven, comprising: an expandable bag with an interior for containing and cooking the popcorn kernels, an exterior, a top opening and a bottom opening; a top lid configured to cover the top opening; a bottom lid configured to cover the bottom opening; attachment members configured to attach the top lid to the bottom lid; and a plurality of holes in the top lid that extend from the interior to the exterior that allow the release of steam from the interior of the package during the microwave cooking process.

17. The package of claim 16, wherein the bag is formed with accordion-like folds that facilitate its transition between a compact state and an expanded state.

18. The package of claim 17, wherein the bag expands during the microwave cooking process.

19. The package of claim 16, wherein the top lid is removable.

20. The package of claim 16, further comprising a panel in the top lid that can be opened while the top lid is covering the top opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a popcorn bag with a top lid, a body and a bottom lid.

[0027] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a popcorn bag with a top lid, a body and a bottom lid.

[0028] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an expanded popcorn bag with a top lid, a body and a bottom lid.

[0029] FIG. 3B is a perspective view of a semi-expanded popcorn bag with a top lid, a body and a bottom lid.

[0030] FIG. 3C is a perspective view of a compact popcorn bag with a top lid, a body and a bottom lid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0031] The following describes example embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. This invention, however, may be embodied in many different ways, and the description provided herein should not be construed as limiting in any way.

[0032] In this document, the terms a or an are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one. In this document, the term or is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that A or B includes A but not B, B but not A, and A and B, unless otherwise indicated. Furthermore, all publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in this document are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, as though individually incorporated by reference. In the event of inconsistent usages between this document and those documents so incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated reference(s) should be considered supplementary to that of this document; for irreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.

[0033] The bag 10 comprising a body 12 having an inner surface, an outer surface and a bottom surface. A plurality of holes at the body 12 of the bag 10 is for allowing steam to escape from the bag 10. The plurality of holes is large enough to allow steam to exit the bag 10 and small to prevent the un-popped kernels to escape during transport if used in a portable setting. The plurality of holes allows steam to exit the bag 10 during the popping process, virtually eliminates burning/scorching of the popcorn kernels.

[0034] The bag 10 is provided with the lid for covering the bag 10. The lid is included with a cloth tab for ease of opening/closing. During the popping process, the popping of the kernels expands the bag 10 into a free standing box shaped container. The bag 10 is resealable which allows for easy transport of un-popped kernels and convenient storage of popped kernels.

[0035] The present embodiment of the bag 10 also serves as a convenient way to transport un-popped kernels for use at a later time. The un-popped kernels can be inserted into the bag 10, which can then be conveniently sealed and folded into a compact package, like a wallet. The bag 10 is made of cloth and it can be cleaned for repeated use.

[0036] Every un-popped kernel contains a tiny amount of water in its core. Microwaves cause these water molecules to become agitated and friction occurs, which heats the water molecules and causes them to expand and become steam. Eventually they expand with enough pressure to cause the kernel to pop, creating popcorn. With each kernel that pops that steam is released into the bag 10 and collects there. After all the kernels pop, there is a significant amount of steam, which then exits through the plurality of openings of the bag 10. The lid is provided with a plurality of fastener means i.e. a plurality of Velcro fasteners each of which comprises a hook part and a loop part for securing the lid-to the bag 10. The plurality of Velcro fasteners each of which comprising a hook part and a loop part is affixed to a plurality of cloth flaps at a top portion of the body 12 of the bag 10 and the lid.

[0037] The bag 10 is adapted to contain a quantity of un-popped popcorn kernels and the bag 10 being placed in a microwave oven for preparation of popcorn.

[0038] The bag 10 is expanded into a free standing box shaped container during the preparation of the kernels. The bag 10 is made of cloth and can be cleaned for repeated use. The bag 10 may also be made of polypropylene fabric that is microwave safe.

[0039] In the present embodiment, the bag 10 is a resealable enclosure which allows the user to consume some of the popcorn at one time, and then seal the bag 10 for convenient consumption at a later time. The bag 10 pops corn at a greatly reduced temperature due to venting and the reduced temperature minimizes burning/scorching of popcorn. The bag 10 also provides a safety feature by minimizing possible injury by steam burn.

[0040] The present embodiment also provides a bag 10 which is safer to the user, efficient in minimizing waste, environmentally friendly, re-sealable, portable, and healthful.

[0041] Another example of bag 10 is depicted in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIGS. 3A-3C. While bag 10 is depicted generally as a cylinder in these figures, bag 10 may also resemble or include other shapes such as a rectangle, a square, an oval, a trapezoid or other shapes or other combinations of shapes. It may also have cross sections of any shape such as circular, oval, square, rectangular, triangular, trapezoidal, or other shaped cross sections or combinations of other shaped cross sections. As shown in FIG. 1, bag 10 may include body 12 with top opening 40 and bottom opening 42. In addition, bag 10 may include top lid 44 that may be configured to cover top opening 40, and bottom lid 46 that may be configured to cover bottom opening 42. Top and bottom lids 44, 46 may comprise Polypropylene or some other type of microwave-safe type of rubber, plastic or other type of materials.

[0042] In addition, bag 10 may include top edge 48 and top ring 52 that may be configured to be attached around the circumference of top edge 48 as shown. Top ring 52 may comprise Polypropylene or some other type of microwave-safe type of rubber, plastic or other type of materials. It may be preferable that top ring 52 have the same general shape and radius as top edge 48 and that it be continuously attached to the entire circumference of top edge 50. However, this may not be required. Top ring 52 may include a lower slot that may run along its bottom circumference that may align with and receive the top circumference of top edge 48. In this way, the top circumference of top edge 48 may fit into the slot. Top edge 48 may be secured within the slot by pressure fit, friction, adhesive, threaded grooves, rivets, clamps or other types of attaching mechanisms or means.

[0043] It should also be noted that top ring 52 may be attached to the outer circumference of top edge 48 without said slot, and that top ring 52 may encircle top edge 48 and be attached thereto. In this case, top edge 48 may be attached to the inner circumference of top ring 52 using adhesive, clips, rivets, threaded grooves or other types of attachment mechanisms or means. In addition, top edge 48 may be attached to the outer circumference of top ring 52 instead of to the inner circumference of top ring 52, and may be attached using adhesive, clips, rivets, or other types of attachment mechanisms. It should be noted that top ring 52 may be attached to top edge 48 in other similar configurations using any mechanisms or means that may be adequate.

[0044] With top rim 52 secured to top edge 48, top rim 52 may represent the top of the body 12 of bag 10. It may be preferable that top rim 52 be attached to top edge 48 such that there are no leaks or gaps between the two, and that they are configured together securely.

[0045] In addition, bag 10 may include bottom edge 50 and bottom ring 54. Bottom ring 54 may comprise Polypropylene or some other type of microwave-safe type of rubber, plastic or other type of materials and may be configured to be attached around the circumference of bottom edge 50 as shown. It may be preferable that bottom ring 54 generally have the same shape and radius of bottom edge 50 and that it be continuously attached to the entire circumference of bottom edge 50. However, this may not be required. Bottom ring 54 may include an upper slot that may run along its top circumference that may align with and receive the bottom circumference of bottom edge 50. In this way, the bottom circumference of bottom edge 50 may fit into the slot. Bottom edge 50 may be secured within the slot by pressure fit, friction, adhesive, rivets, clamps or other types of attaching mechanisms or means.

[0046] It should also be noted that bottom ring 54 may be attached to the outer circumference of bottom edge 50 without said slot, and that bottom ring 54 may encircle bottom edge 50 and be attached thereto. In this case, bottom edge 50 may be attached to the inner circumference of bottom ring 54 using adhesive, clips, threaded grooves, rivets, or other types of attachment mechanisms. In addition, bottom edge 50 may be attached to the outer circumference of bottom ring 54 instead of to the inner circumference of bottom ring 54, and may be attached using adhesive, clips, threaded grooves, rivets, or other types of attachment mechanisms. In general, it should be noted that bottom ring 54 may be attached to bottom edge 50 in other similar configurations using any mechanisms or means that may be adequate.

[0047] With bottom rim 54 secured to bottom edge 50, bottom rim 54 may represent the bottom of the body 12 of bag 10. It may be preferable that bottom rim 54 be attached to bottom edge 450 such that there are no leaks or gaps between the two, and that they are configured together securely. However, it should be noted that bottom rim 54 may not be necessary as will be described in the section below.

[0048] Top lid 44 may include top surface 56, side rim 58 and underneath area 60. In practice, top lid 44 may be placed on top of top rim 52 such that top rim 52 may fit within side rim 58 and top surface 56 may cover top opening 40. It may be preferable that the inner diameter of side rim 58 be slightly larger than the outer diameter of top rim 52 such that top rim 52 may fit snugly and concentrically within side rim 58 without any gaps. In this configuration, top rim 52 may be received into underneath area 60 of top lid 44.

[0049] In addition, top lid 44 may include attachment member 62 that may generally extend downward from side rim 58. Also, top rim 52 may include attachment member 64 that may generally extend outward from top rim 52. In order to lock top lid 44 to top rim 52, it may be preferable that with top lid 44 placed on top of top rim 52 such that top rim 52 is concentrically positioned within underneath area 60, that attachment member 62 and attachment member 64 engage with each other to secure top lid 44 in place.

[0050] In one example, attachment member 62 may be a hook and attachment member 64 may be a circumferential lip as shown in FIG. 1. In this example, hook 62 may comprise spring metal or some other type of material that may snap over and otherwise engage with lip 64. This is shown in close-up view A in FIG. 1. It should be noted that circumferential lip 64 may or may not extend continuously around the entire circumference of ring 52. Once secure with attachment hook 62 engaged with attachment lip 64, it may be preferable that top lid 44 be engaged tightly and securely about top rim 52 in an air tight and gap-free configuration. To remove top lid 44 from top rim 52, attachment member 62 may be disengaged from attachment member 64 such that the lid 44 may be released and removed from top opening 40. This may allow a user of bag 10 to either insert food into bag 10 for cooking or remove food from bag 10 as necessary. In the example above, hook 62 may be lifted to disengage from circumferential lip 64 to disengage the lid 44.

[0051] It should be noted that other types of attachment members 62 and 64 may be used instead of hooks and rims such as snaps, latches, hook and loop tabs and other types of attachment members. In addition, top lid 44 and top rim 52 may include corresponding threaded grooves that may mate such that top lid 44 may be screwed onto top rim 52. Top lid 44 may also be attached to top rim 52 using pressure fit with enough friction between the two components to hold top lid 44 in place. Also, top lid 44 may be configured to top rim 52 with a hinge separate from attachment member 62 such that with attachment member 62 disengaged from attachment member 64, top lid 44 may hingedly rotate off of top opening 40 while remaining attached to top rim 52 via the hinge.

[0052] To form the bottom of bag 10, lower rim 54 may be inserted concentrically into the inner area 66 of bottom lid 46. It may be preferable that the outer diameter of lower rim 54 be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of bottom lid 46 so that it may fit within the lid. It may also be preferable that lower rim 54 fits snugly and air tight within the inner area 66 of bottom lid 46 and that the pressure fit between the outer surface of lower rim 54 and the inner surface of side rim 68 hold the lower rim 54 securely within bottom lid 46. In addition, other types of attachment members or mechanisms may also be used to further secure lower rim 54 with bottom lid 46 such as adhesives, grooves, latches, snaps, hook and loop tabs, rivets and other types of attachment members or mechanisms. In addition, bottom lid 46 and lower rim 54 may include corresponding threaded grooves that may mate such that bottom lid 46 may be screwed onto lower rim 54.

[0053] In addition, it can also be seen that lower rim 54 may not be necessary and that lower edge 50 may be attached directly to lower lid 46 using the same or similar methods of attachment. In this case, it may be preferable that the outer circumference of lower edge 50 be attached and adequately secured to the inner surface of side rim 68 in an air tight and secure fashion. Or conversely, the inner circumference of lower edge 50 may be attached an adequately secured to the outer surface of side rim 68 in an air tight and secure fashion.

[0054] Moving forward, as depicted in FIG. 2, the body 12 of bag 10 may include accordion-like folds 72 that may facilitate bag 10 to transition from an expanded configuration to a compact configuration and vice versa. That is, as top lid 44 is moved downward in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3A, the body 12 of bag 10 may collapse along the accordion folds 72, with accordion folds 72 folding upon themselves as the top lid 44 moves downward and the bag 10 collapses. In this way, body 12 may transition from a generally extended configuration as depicted in FIG. 3A to a generally compact configuration as depicted in FIG. 3C. In addition, with body 12 in a generally compact configuration, it may be transitioned to a generally extended configuration by moving top lid 44 upward in the direction of arrow B. In this way, body 12 may easily transition between a generally extended state to a generally compact state. In addition, bag 10 may not include accordion-like folds but instead, the body 12 of bag 10 may fold upon itself as the body collapses.

[0055] It should be noted that with body 12 in a generally compact configuration as depicted in FIG. 3C, it may be preferable that top lid 44 be configured to attach to bottom lid 46 such that body 12 may be releasably locked in the compact state. To this end, top lid 44 may include attachment member 76 that may be incorporated with attachment member 62, may be a stand-alone component or may be incorporated with other component of bag 10. If attachment member 76 is incorporated with attachment member 62, it may be connected to and may extend below attachment member 62 as depicted in FIG. 3A. If attachment member 76 is an individual element, it may be attached to and generally extend downward from side rim 58 (also shown in FIG. 3A). Also, bottom lid 46 may include attachment member 78 that may generally extend outward from bottom lid 46. In order to lock top lid 44 to bottom lid 46, it may be preferable that with top lid 44 placed on top of top rim 52 as described above and with body 12 in a compact configuration, that attachment member 62 and attachment member 78 engage with each other to secure top lid 44 to bottom lid 46.

[0056] In one example, attachment member 76 may be a hook and attachment member 78 may be a circumferential lip as shown in FIG. 3A. In this example, hook 78 may comprise spring metal or some other type of material that may snap over and otherwise engage with lip 78. It should be noted that circumferential lip 78 may or may not extend continuously around the entire circumference of bottom lid 46. Once attachment hook 76 is engaged with attachment lip 78, it may be preferable that top lid 44 be engaged tightly and securely to bottom lid 46. To remove top lid 44 from bottom lid 46, attachment member 76 may be disengaged from attachment member 78 such that the lid 44 may be released from bottom lid 46. This may allow bag 10 to expand as described above during the microwave cooking process or as otherwise necessary. In the example above, hook 76 may be lifted to disengage from circumferential lip 78 to disengage the lid 44.

[0057] It should be noted that other types of attachment members 76 and 78 may be used instead of hooks and rims such as snaps, latches, hook and loop tabs, an elastic band that encircles top lid 44 and bottom lid 46, and other types of attachment members or mechanisms. In the example shown in FIG. 2, attachment member 62 may be a loop and ball and attachment member 78 may be a notch in bottom lid 46. In this example, with body 12 in a compact configuration, loop and ball 62 may snap into or otherwise engage with notch 78 to secure top lid 44 to bottom lid 46.

[0058] In another example, attachment members 62 and 76 may be combined into a single attachment member, such as a hook, a loop and ball, or other types of attachment members or mechanisms. In this scenario, attachment member 62 may engage attachment member 64 when body 12 of bag 10 is generally in an extended configuration, but upon pushing top lid 44 downward such that body 12 collapses as described above, attachment member 62 may disengage attachment member 64 as the lid travels downward, and then engage attachment member 78 when the body 12 reaches a generally compact configuration. Note that in this configuration, top rim 48 may be held in position even though it may not be secured to top lid 44 using attachment members 62 and 64, as it may be held securely between top lid 44 and bottom lid 46.

[0059] In another example, attachment member 78 may be the bottom outer circumferential edge of bottom lid 46. That is, as shown in FIG. 3C, hook 76 may extend down and engage the bottom edge 80 of bottom lid 46 such that bottom edge 80 acts as attachment member 78.

[0060] In addition, top lid 44 may include vents 82 as depicted in FIG. 1 or holes 84 as depicted in FIG. 2, a combination of both vents 82 and holes 84 or other venting means. Vents 82 and/or holes 84 may extend from the interior of bag 10 to the outside environment to allow heat and steam to be released from the body 12 of bag 10 during the microwave cooking process thereby reducing the heat and pressure inside the bag 10. This in turn may reduce the amount of scorched food within the bag 10 as well as reduce the danger of the user getting burned upon opening the bag 10 to remove the food. Note that vents 82 and holes 84 may include the characteristics of the plurality of holes used for removing steam buildup during the microwave cooking process as described in earlier embodiments. In addition, the vents 82 or holes 84 or other venting means may also be configured in any other area or with any other component of bag 10 such as the bottom lid 46, the body 12, the top rim 48, the bottom rim 54 or with any other component or in any other location.

[0061] In use, with top lid 44 removed, microwavable food such as popcorn kernels may be placed within the body 12 of bag 10. Top lid 44 may then be secured to top rim 48 to cover top opening 40. At this point, bag 10 may be placed into a microwave oven to heat the popcorn kernels until they pop making a batch of popped popcorn. Or, if the user wishes to transport the bag 10 to another location to cook and enjoy the popcorn at a later time, the bag 10 may be transitioned into a compact state and top lid 44 and bottom lid 46 may be releasably locked together. This allows transport of bag 10 in a small and compact state making it easier to store and carry (in a lunch box for example). Upon being ready to cook the food, the user may release top lid 44 from bottom lid 46 while allowing top lid to be secured to top rim 48 by means of the attachment members 62, 64. The bag 10 may then be placed in a microwave oven and cooked during which time the bag 10 may expand due to pressure buildup inside the body 12 of bag 10. If the bag 10 has accordion-like folds, the folds may unfold during this process. Otherwise, the bag 10 may generally unfold and expand. The bag 10 may thereby transition from a generally compact state to a generally expanded state into an upright cylinder or other shape. Top lid 44 may then be removed and the food may be consumed.

[0062] Note that it may also be preferable that the locking members 62 and 78 may release themselves due to the upward force applied by the expansion of the bag 10 during the cooking process such that the user may not need to unlock the attachment members 62, 78 prior to cooking. This may provide better safety in case the user forgets to unlock the lids 44, 46 prior to cooking. In this scenario, it may also be preferable that upon releasing from attachment member 78, attachment member 62 may engage and attached to attachment member 64 such that top lid 44 remains attached to top rim 48 to cover opening 40 during the cooking.

[0063] After cooking, the user may safely open the bag 10 by removing or otherwise opening top lid 44 to consume the cooked food. Then, if the food is completely consumed, bag 10 may be placed back into a compact configuration, locked and stored away for later use. However, if the food has not been completely consumed, top lid 44 may be placed back onto top rim 48 and the bag 10 may be used to store the food until a later time.

[0064] In addition, it may be preferable that with bag 10 in a compact configuration, that there is sufficient room within the compact body 12 of the bag 10 to contain and hold the food to be cooked, for example, a number of popcorn kernels. In this way, the food may be contained within the compact body 12 of the bag 10 during transport or otherwise prior to cooking.

[0065] It should be noted that the bag 10 may be cleaned and reused. It should also be noted that the various elements of bag 10 may be removed at any time to be cleaned or otherwise maintained or replaced. For example, top lid 44, top rim 48, bottom rim 54 (if used) and bottom lid 46 may be removed from body 12 of bag 10 to be cleaned. Once clean, the components may be reinstalled onto body 12. It should also be noted that body 12 may be a disposable element such that it may be replaced, and that a replacement body 12 may then be configured with the same elements including top lid 44, top rim 48, bottom rim 54 (if used) and bottom lid 46. In this way, if the body 12 gets damaged or soiled beyond cleaning, it may be easily replaced while continuing to use the other components.

[0066] Also, top lid 44 may include removable top panel 86 that may be removed (either entirely or hingedly) in order to place or remove food from within the body 12 of bag 10, or to otherwise gain access to the interior of bag 10 while the top lid 44 is locked or otherwise engaged with the top rim 48 and/or the bottom lid 46. In this way, if the user wishes to access the inside of body 12 while the components are locked, he/she may do so by opening top panel 86. Top panel 86 may then be replaced into position and locked in place using any adequate attachment members, mechanisms or means.

[0067] While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.