Fresh-keeping bag
By designing a fresh -keeping bag that includes bags, branched bag components and inner bags, the problem of low freezing and thawing efficiency in existing technologies is solved, and the efficient synchronization cooling and thawing of food in the process of freezing and thawing.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421286334.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-05
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-28
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-06-05
AI Technical Summary
Existing transportation and fresh-keeping bags are less freezing and thawing when frozen meat, resulting in longer time in the freezing and thawing process.
A fresh -keeping bag is designed, including bags, branches of dry bag components, and inner cavity bags. The bag covers the main part of the food, the trunk pocket components cover the dry part of the food, and the inner cavity bag covers the inner cavity of the food, so as to increase the heat transfer area of the food during the freezing and thawing process.
Through this design, the main part of the food, the support part and the inner cavity wall of the food can be synchronized with freezing and thawing, significantly improved the efficiency of freezing and thawing, and adapt to foods with branches to avoid frozen formation.
Smart Images

Figure CN222409253U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of refrigeration, freezing and fresh-keeping, in particular to a fresh-keeping bag. Background Art
[0002] As people's living standards continue to improve, their requirements for food are getting higher and higher; in order to extend the shelf life of meat products, using fresh, environmentally friendly and convenient fresh-keeping bags to refrigerate or freeze meat is a common way of handling. Existing transport fresh-keeping bags simply wrap the meat and put it in a freezer for freezing; during the freezing process, the meat needs to be heat-conducted from the surface first, resulting in the need to wait for the surface layer to be completely frozen before the inside of the meat can be slowly frozen, and its freezing efficiency is low; and when thawing frozen meat, it needs to be heat-conducted from the surface first, and the need to wait for the surface layer of the meat to be completely thawed before the inside of the meat can be slowly thawed, and its thawing efficiency is low. Utility Model Content
[0003] The main purpose of the utility model is to provide a fresh-keeping bag, aiming to solve the problem of low freezing and thawing efficiency of the existing fresh-keeping bags when used for frozen meat.
[0004] To achieve the above purpose, the fresh-keeping bag proposed by the utility model includes:
[0005] A bag body, wherein one side of the bag body in the length direction or the width direction is provided with a bag opening; the bag body is used to cover the outer surface of the main body of the food;
[0006] A branch bag assembly, the branch bag assembly is located on the left and right sides of the bag opening, the branch bag assembly is connected to the bag body; the branch bag assembly is used to cover the outer surface of the branch part of the food;
[0007] An inner cavity bag is located on the opposite side of the bag body to the bag opening; the inner cavity bag is used to cover the inner cavity wall of the food.
[0008] In one embodiment, the bag opening is arranged on one side of the bag body in the length direction; and / or,
[0009] The branch bag assembly includes an upper branch bag and a lower branch bag. The upper branch bags are arranged on the left and right sides of one end of the bag body close to the bag opening, and the lower branch bags are arranged on the left and right sides of one end of the bag body away from the bag opening.
[0010] In one embodiment, the inner cavity bag is a teardrop-shaped bag, an oval bag, a square bag, or a diamond-shaped bag, and the teardrop-shaped bag, the oval bag, the square bag, or the diamond-shaped bag is used to fit with the inner cavity wall of the food.
[0011] In one embodiment, the upper dry bag assembly and the lower dry bag are conical bags, and the conical bags form an angle with the side of the bag body; or,
[0012] The upper branch bag and the lower branch bag are polygonal bags, and the polygonal bags form an angle with the side of the bag body.
[0013] In one embodiment, the bag body is further provided with a sealing portion, and the sealing portion is provided at the bag opening; and / or,
[0014] The sealing portion further comprises a heat-sealing edge, and the heat-sealing edge is arranged at the edge of the bag opening.
[0015] In one embodiment, the sealing portion further comprises a sealing strip, the sealing strip is arranged on the inner side of the heat-sealed edge, the sealing strip comprises a concave strip and a convex strip, and the concave strip and the convex strip are correspondingly arranged on the inner layers on both sides of the bag body.
[0016] In one embodiment, the bag body is further provided with a handle, and the handle is provided between the sealing strip and the heat-sealed edge; and / or,
[0017] The handle is provided with a strip hole, and the strip hole is extended along the width direction of the bag body.
[0018] In one embodiment, the bag body, the inner cavity bag and the branch bag assembly are an integrated structure.
[0019] In one embodiment, the bag body, the inner cavity bag and the branch bag assembly are all made of flexible membrane sheets, wherein the flexible membrane sheet is a multi-layer structure composed of two or more material layers.
[0020] In one embodiment, the flexible membrane comprises an antibacterial fresh-keeping outer layer, an antibacterial fresh-keeping inner layer arranged on one side of the antibacterial fresh-keeping outer layer, and an adhesive layer arranged between the antibacterial fresh-keeping outer layer and the antibacterial fresh-keeping inner layer.
[0021] The technical solution of the utility model is to arrange an inner cavity bag on the side of the bag body away from the bag opening, and to arrange the bag opening and the inner cavity bag on both sides of the bag body in the length direction respectively; by placing food into the bag body from the bag opening, using the bag body to cover the outer surface of the main trunk of the food, using the branch bag assembly to cover the outer surface of the branch part of the food, and using the inner cavity bag to turn inward and cover the inner cavity wall of the food, so that when the food is frozen, the main trunk and the branch parts of the food can be in an unfolded state; during the freezing process of the food, the outer surface of the main trunk of the food is heat-conducted with the external space through the bag body, the outer surface of the branch part of the food is heat-conducted with the external space through the branch bag assembly, and the inner cavity wall of the food can be Heat is conducted between the inner cavity bag and the external space so that the outer surfaces of the main trunk and branch parts of the food and the inner cavity are frozen synchronously, thereby improving the freezing efficiency of the food; in addition, when the frozen food is thawed, the outer surfaces of the branch parts of the food are heat-conducted with the external space through the branch bag assembly, and at the same time, the inner cavity wall of the food can be heat-conducted with the external space through the inner cavity bag, so that the outer surface and the inner cavity of the food are thawed synchronously, thereby improving the thawing efficiency of the food; at the same time, by providing the branch bag assembly, the fresh-keeping bag can adapt to food with a branch shape, avoiding the branch-shaped food from being frozen into a mass, and can improve the freezing and thawing efficiency of the branch-shaped food. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.
[0023] Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a fresh-keeping bag provided by the utility model;
[0024] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of a fresh-keeping bag in use according to an embodiment of the utility model.
[0025] Description of Figure Numbers:
[0026] 1-bag body; 11-bag opening; 12-sealing part; 13-heat-sealed edge; 14-handle part; 141-strip hole; 2-branch bag assembly; 21-upper branch bag; 22-lower branch bag; 3-inner cavity bag.
[0027] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the utility model will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.
[0029] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.
[0030] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the utility model, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features limited to "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, if "and / or" or "and / or" appears in the full text, its meaning includes three parallel solutions. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes solution A, solution B, or solutions that satisfy both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the utility model.
[0031] The utility model provides a fresh-keeping bag.
[0032] See also Figure 1 to Figure 2 In one embodiment of the utility model, the fresh-keeping bag includes a bag body 1, a branch bag assembly 2 and an inner cavity bag 3; a bag opening 11 is provided on one side of the bag body 1 in the length direction or the width direction; the bag body 1 is used to cover the outer surface of the trunk part of the food; the branch bag assembly 2 is provided on the left and right sides of the bag opening 11, and the branch bag assembly 2 is used to cover the outer surface of the branch part of the food; the inner cavity bag 3 is located on the opposite side of the bag body 1 where the bag opening 11 is provided; the inner cavity bag 3 is used to cover the inner cavity wall of the food.
[0033] In the above structure, an inner cavity bag 3 is provided on the opposite side of the bag body 1 where the bag opening 11 is provided, and food is placed into the bag body 1 from the bag opening 11, the bag body 1 is used to cover the outer surface of the main part of the food, the branch bag assembly 2 is used to cover the outer surface of the branch part of the food, and the inner cavity bag 3 is turned inward to cover the inner cavity wall of the food, so that when the food is frozen, the main part and the branch part of the food can be in an unfolded state; during the freezing process of the food, the outer surface of the main part of the food is heat-conducted with the external space through the bag body 1, the outer surface of the branch part of the food is heat-conducted with the external space through the branch bag assembly 2, and at the same time, the inner cavity wall of the food can be heat-conducted with the external space through the inner cavity bag 3 Heat conduction is carried out between the trunk and the branch parts of the food, so that the outer surfaces of the trunk and the branch parts and the inner cavity are frozen synchronously, so that the freezing efficiency of the food is improved; in addition, when the frozen food is thawed, the outer surfaces of the branch parts of the food are heat-conducted with the external space through the branch bag assembly 2, and at the same time, the inner cavity wall of the food can be heat-conducted with the external space through the inner cavity bag 3, so that the outer surface and the inner cavity of the food are thawed synchronously, so that the thawing efficiency of the food is improved. At the same time, by providing the branch bag assembly 2, the fresh-keeping bag can adapt to food with a branch shape, avoid the branch-shaped food from being frozen into a mass, and can improve the freezing and thawing efficiency of the branch-shaped food.
[0034] That is to say, the added branch bag assembly 2 provides a wrapping effect for the outer surface of the branch part of the food, so that the main part and the branch part of the food are in an unfolded state, so that the main part and the branch part of the food can fully contact with the air or liquid in the external space, thereby increasing the heat transfer area of the food, and thus improving the freezing and thawing efficiency of the food; further, the added inner cavity bag 3 provides a wrapping effect for the inner cavity of the food after being flipped inward, so that the inner cavity of the food can be exposed to the air or liquid in the external space, thereby increasing the heat transfer area of the food, and thus improving the freezing efficiency of the food and improving the thawing efficiency; the fresh-keeping bag has the advantages of simple structure, easy use, simple freezing and thawing operations, shortening the time required for freezing, and shortening the time required for thawing.
[0035] Among them, the food can be the body of a poultry animal; illustratively, the slaughtered animal body forms the above-mentioned inner cavity in the abdominal cavity, and the above-mentioned inner cavity is provided with an opening, which is used for the inner cavity bag 3 to be inserted, and the inner cavity bag 3 is flipped inward to cover the inner cavity wall of the inner cavity; the branch part of the animal body is specifically two wings, and the two wings can be respectively inserted into the branch bag components 2 on both sides of the bag body 1, so that the animal body can be frozen in an unfolded state, thereby improving the efficiency of freezing and thawing.
[0036] In one embodiment, the bag opening 11 is arranged on one side of the bag body 1 in the length direction, the inner cavity bag 3 is arranged on the side of the bag body 1 away from the bag opening 11, the branch bag assembly 2 includes an upper branch bag 21 and a lower branch bag 22, the upper branch bag 21 is arranged on the left and right sides of the end of the bag body 2 close to the bag opening 11, and the lower branch bag 22 is arranged on the left and right sides of the end of the bag body 1 away from the bag opening 11. Exemplarily, when the fresh-keeping bag is used to package poultry, the upper branch bag 21 and the lower branch bag 22 are arranged on both sides of the bag opening 11, the upper branch bag 21 is used to wrap the wings of the poultry, the lower branch bag assembly 22 is used to wrap the legs and feet of the poultry, and the inner cavity bag 3 is used to flip into the abdominal cavity of the poultry so that the inner cavity bag 3 wraps the inner cavity wall.
[0037] In one embodiment, the inner cavity bag 3 is a teardrop-shaped bag, and the teardrop-shaped bag is used to fit the inner cavity wall of the food. The food is provided with an inner cavity, and the inner cavity is provided with an opening, and the curvature of the arc portion fits with the side of the inner cavity wall away from the opening. First, the food is put into the bag body 1 from the bag opening 11, and the side of the food provided with the inner cavity faces the side of the bag body 1 provided with the inner cavity bag 3, and the inner cavity bag 3 is inserted into the inner cavity so that the inner cavity bag 3 covers the inner cavity wall of the food. Exemplarily, the fresh-keeping bag is used for freezing poultry, and the inner cavity bag 3 is used to fit with the abdominal cavity of the poultry. The bag body 1 is a rectangular transparent structure; wherein the bag opening 11 is set on one side of the length direction of the bag body 1, so as to facilitate the placement of food in the fresh-keeping bag; when the food is placed along the length direction of the bag opening 11, and the opening of the inner cavity of the food is located on the side of the bag body 1 away from the bag opening 11, so that the inner cavity bag 3 can be inserted into the inner cavity from the opening. By setting the inner cavity bag 3 as a teardrop-shaped bag, the inner cavity bag 3 is more closely fitted to the abdominal cavity of the poultry. In addition, the inner cavity bag 3 can also be set as an oval bag, a square bag, or a diamond bag.
[0038] In one embodiment, the upper trunk bag 21 and the lower trunk bag 22 are both conical bags 1, and the conical bags 1 form an angle with the side of the bag body 1. The trunk bag assembly 2 is configured as a conical bag to adapt to the shape of the wings of the poultry, and the conical bag 1 forms an angle with the side of the bag body 1, which can improve the fit of the trunk bag assembly 2 to the wings of the poultry; by providing the above structure, the utilization rate of the space in the trunk bag assembly 2 can be improved, and the material cost of the trunk bag assembly 2 can be reduced.
[0039] In one embodiment, the upper stem bag 21 and the lower stem bag 22 are both polygonal bags, and the polygonal bags form an angle with the side of the bag body. The polygonal bag is used to wrap the stem part of food, and its adaptability is stronger.
[0040] In one embodiment, the bag body 1 is further provided with a sealing portion 12, which is provided at the bag opening 11. When food is placed in the fresh-keeping bag, the air in the bag body 1 and the inner cavity bag 3 can be extracted by a vacuum device until the bag body 1 fits the outer surface of the food and the inner cavity bag 3 fits the inner cavity wall of the food, and then the sealing portion 12 is used to vacuum seal the food in the fresh-keeping bag.
[0041] In one embodiment, the sealing portion 12 further includes a heat-sealed edge 13, which is disposed at the edge of the bag opening 11. The heat-sealed edge 13 can improve the sealing effect of the fresh-keeping bag, and is not prone to air leakage, which facilitates the transportation of food.
[0042] In one embodiment, the sealing portion 12 further includes a sealing strip, which is arranged on the inner side of the heat-sealed edge 13. The sealing strip includes a concave strip and a convex strip, which are correspondingly arranged on the inner layers of both sides of the bag body 1. The convex strip can be inserted into the groove of the concave strip to achieve the sealing effect. When the fresh-keeping bag sealed by the heat-sealed edge 13 needs to be opened, the heat-sealed edge 13 can be cut off to reopen the bag opening 11; when the fresh-keeping bag needs to be recycled, the food can be further sealed in the fresh-keeping bag by the provided sealing strip and re-frozen, thereby increasing the reuse rate of the fresh-keeping bag; at the same time, the provided sealing strip can be used to minimize the number of miscellaneous bacteria entering the fresh-keeping bag and extend the preservation time.
[0043] In one embodiment, the bag body 1 is further provided with a handle 14, which is provided between the sealing strip and the heat-sealed edge 13. The provision of the handle 14 facilitates the transportation and transfer of the whole bag of food. When the fresh-keeping bag sealed by the heat-sealed edge 13 needs to be opened, the heat-sealed edge 13 can be cut off; the handle 14 is provided between the sealing strip and the heat-sealed edge 13, which can prevent the handle 14 from being damaged when the heat-sealed edge 13 is opened.
[0044] In one embodiment, the handle 14 is provided with a strip hole 141, and the strip hole 141 is extended along the width direction of the bag body 1. The strip hole 141 is provided to facilitate the user to grasp and transfer the whole bag of food. The user can easily and conveniently lift the whole bag of food by hooking the strip hole 141 with his hand, which saves physical strength and is convenient.
[0045] In addition, a carrying buckle may be provided in the strip-shaped hole 141 , and the carrying buckle may be used to improve the load-bearing capacity of the carrying portion 14 and reduce the probability of the carrying portion 14 being greatly deformed.
[0046] In one embodiment, the bag body 1, the inner cavity bag 3 and the branch and trunk bag assembly 2 are an integrated structure. The bag body 1, the branch and trunk bag assembly 2 and the inner cavity bag 3 are connected, and the bag body 1, the branch and trunk bag assembly 2 and the inner cavity bag 3 are an integrated structure, which can improve the sealing performance of the fresh-keeping bag and facilitate the subsequent vacuum sealing operation.
[0047] In one embodiment, the bag body 1, the inner cavity bag 3 and the branch bag assembly 2 are all made of a flexible diaphragm, wherein the flexible diaphragm is a multi-layer structure, which is composed of two or more material layers. The flexible diaphragm can be composed of a plastic material layer, a paper material layer, a metal material layer, a fabric material layer, various coatings or plating layers and other multi-layer material layers. The flexible diaphragm adopts a multi-layer structure so that the flexible diaphragm has excellent performance, can meet and realize a variety of functions, and the material applicability is also more extensive. In other embodiments, the flexible diaphragm adopts a single-layer structure and is made of plastic.
[0048] In one embodiment, the flexible membrane includes an antibacterial fresh-keeping outer layer, an antibacterial fresh-keeping inner layer arranged on one side of the antibacterial fresh-keeping outer layer, and an adhesive layer arranged between the antibacterial fresh-keeping outer layer and the antibacterial fresh-keeping inner layer. The antibacterial fresh-keeping outer layer and the antibacterial fresh-keeping inner layer are tightly combined through the adhesive layer to achieve a double antibacterial effect. Among them, the antibacterial fresh-keeping inner layer can be made of PE (polyethylene) material; the antibacterial fresh-keeping inner layer is used to directly contact the food to achieve the purpose of isolating the food from the air, thereby playing a role in preservation. The antibacterial fresh-keeping outer layer can be made of a hollow silver-loaded fiber layer. In a humid environment, the silver ions inside the hollow fiber will be released to the outside world, which can inhibit the generation of bacteria, thereby achieving the purpose of double preservation. The adhesive layer can be formed by coating with food-grade glue, for example, the food-grade glue can be made of polyurethane glue.
[0049] The technical solution of the utility model is to arrange an inner cavity bag 3 on the side of the bag body 1 away from the bag opening 11, and to arrange the bag opening 11 and the inner cavity bag 3 on both sides of the bag body 1 in the length direction respectively; by placing food into the bag body 1 from the bag opening 11, using the bag body 1 to cover the outer surface of the main trunk of the food, using the branch bag assembly 2 to cover the outer surface of the branch part of the food, and using the inner cavity bag 3 to cover the inner cavity wall of the food, so that when the food is frozen, the main trunk and the branch parts of the food can be in an unfolded state; during the freezing process of the food, the outer surface of the main trunk of the food is heat-conducted with the external space through the bag body 1, the outer surface of the branch part of the food is heat-conducted with the external space through the branch bag assembly 2, and at the same time the inner cavity wall of the food is Heat can be conducted with the external space through the inner cavity bag 3, so that the outer surfaces of the main part and the branch parts of the food and the inner cavity can be frozen synchronously, so that the freezing efficiency of the food is improved; in addition, when the frozen food is thawed, the outer surfaces of the branch parts of the food can be heat-conducted with the external space through the branch bag assembly 2, and at the same time, the inner cavity wall of the food can be heat-conducted with the external space through the inner cavity bag 3, so that the outer surface and the inner cavity of the food can be thawed synchronously, so that the thawing efficiency of the food is improved. At the same time, by providing the branch bag assembly 2, the fresh-keeping bag can adapt to food with a branch shape, avoid the branch-shaped food from being frozen into a mass, and can improve the freezing and thawing efficiency of the branch-shaped food.
[0050] The above description is only an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the technical concept of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A fresh-keeping bag, characterized in that: include: A bag body, wherein a bag opening is provided on one side of the bag body in the length direction or the width direction; The bag body is used to cover the outer surface of the main part of the food; A branch bag assembly, the branch bag assembly is arranged on the left and right sides of the bag opening, the branch bag assembly is connected to the bag body; the branch bag assembly is used to cover the outer surface of the branch part of the food; An inner cavity bag is located on the opposite side of the bag body to the bag opening; the inner cavity bag is used to cover the inner cavity wall of the food.
2. The fresh-keeping bag according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bag opening is arranged on one side of the bag body in the length direction; and / or, The branch bag assembly includes an upper branch bag and a lower branch bag. The upper branch bags are arranged on the left and right sides of one end of the bag body close to the bag opening, and the lower branch bags are arranged on the left and right sides of one end of the bag body away from the bag opening.
3. The fresh-keeping bag according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner cavity bag is a teardrop-shaped bag, an oval bag, a square bag, or a diamond-shaped bag, and the teardrop-shaped bag, the oval bag, the square bag, or the diamond-shaped bag is used to fit with the inner cavity wall of the food.
4. The fresh-keeping bag according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper dry bag assembly and the lower dry bag are both conical bags, and the conical bags form an angle with the side of the bag body; or, The upper branch bag and the lower branch bag are both polygonal bags, and the polygonal bags form an angle with the side of the bag body.
5. The fresh-keeping bag according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The bag body is further provided with a sealing portion, and the sealing portion is provided at the bag opening; and / or, The sealing portion further comprises a heat-sealing edge, and the heat-sealing edge is arranged at the edge of the bag opening.
6. The fresh-keeping bag according to claim 5, characterized in that: The sealing part further comprises a sealing strip, which is arranged on the inner side of the heat-sealed edge, and comprises a concave strip and a convex strip, and the concave strip and the convex strip are correspondingly arranged on the inner layers on both sides of the bag body.
7. The fresh-keeping bag according to claim 6, characterized in that: The bag body is further provided with a handle, and the handle is arranged between the sealing strip and the heat-sealed edge; and / or, The handle is provided with a strip hole, and the strip hole is extended along the width direction of the bag body.
8. The fresh-keeping bag according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The bag body, the inner cavity bag and the branch bag assembly are an integrated structure.
9. The fresh-keeping bag according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The bag body, the inner cavity bag and the branch bag assembly are all made of flexible membrane sheets, wherein the flexible membrane sheet is a multi-layer structure composed of two or more material layers.
10. The fresh-keeping bag according to claim 9, characterized in that: The flexible membrane comprises an antibacterial fresh-keeping outer layer, an antibacterial fresh-keeping inner layer arranged on one side of the antibacterial fresh-keeping outer layer, and an adhesive layer arranged between the antibacterial fresh-keeping outer layer and the antibacterial fresh-keeping inner layer.