Food packaging assembly

Abstract

A sleeve for a container configured to hold food therein, the sleeve having a tubular structure configured to be provided around the container and to engage the container with an interference fit to form a food packaging assembly; wherein when the sleeve engages the container with the interference fit, a bottom edge of the sleeve extends beyond a base of the container, thereby preventing the base of the container from coming into contact with a surface on which the food packaging assembly could be placed and thus preventing heat conduction between the base of the container and the surface.

Description

FOOD PACKAGING ASSEMBLYTechnical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to food packaging, and more specifically, to a food packaging assembly to reduce heat transfer.Background

[0002] The majority of food packaging solutions available on the market are not able to keep food either warm or cold (as may be desired) for an extended period of time. Unwanted heat loss or gain is generally due to conduction from the base of the packaging and convection from the remaining surfaces of the food packaging, particularly the side wall of the packaging.

[0003] As most food packaging solutions have a bottom or base that is flat, the entire base or bottom will be in contact with any surface that the food packaging is placed on. This results in unwanted heat loss or gain through conduction which is the most significant cause of the unwanted heat loss or gain. Additionally, another significant cause of unwanted heat loss or gain is convective heat loss or gain with the atmosphere or surrounding environment from walls of the packaging.

[0004] It is therefore desirable to provide a food packaging assembly that can reduce unwanted heat loss or gain while avoiding the disadvantages found in existing food packaging assemblies.Summary

[0005] The present application discloses a solution to address unwanted heat transfer in food packaging.

[0006] According to a first aspect, there is provided a sleeve for a container configured to hold food therein, the sleeve having a tubular structure configured to be provided around the container and to engage the container with an interference fit to form a food packaging assembly; wherein when the sleeve engages the container with theinterference fit, a bottom edge of the sleeve extends beyond a base of the container, thereby preventing the base of the container from coming into contact with a surface on which the food packaging assembly could be placed and thus preventing heat conduction between the base of the container and the surface.

[0007] According to a second aspect, there is provided a food packaging assembly comprising: a container configured to hold food therein; and a tubular sleeve provided around the container and engaging the container with an interference fit; wherein a bottom edge of the sleeve extends beyond a base of the container, thereby preventing the base of the container from coming into contact with a surface on which the food packaging assembly could be placed and thus preventing heat conduction between the base of the container and the surface.

[0008] The container may taper inwards from its top down to its base.

[0009] For both aspects, the sleeve may have a height greater than a height of side walls of the container.

[0010] For both aspects, a perimeter of a top edge of the sleeve may be smaller than a perimeter of an upper part of the container.

[0011] For both aspects, a perimeter of a top edge of the sleeve may be greater than a perimeter of the bottom edge of the sleeve.

[0012] For both aspects, the sleeve may be made of a sheet of at least one layer of a pliable insulating material.

[0013] For both aspects, the sleeve may be configured to be removably interference- fitted with the container.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] In order that the invention may be fully understood and readily put into practical effect there shall now be described by way of non-limitative example only exemplaryembodiments of the present invention, the description being with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings.FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a side view of an exemplary food packaging assembly comprising a container interference fitted within a sleeve.FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary sheet of material from which a sleeve of the food packaging assembly can be formed.FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the sleeve of the food packaging assembly.Detailed Description

[0015] Exemplary embodiments of an insulating sleeve will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 in which the same reference numerals refer to the same or similar parts.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 1 , the presently disclosed food packaging assembly 10 comprises a container 20 and a sleeve 30. The container 20 is configured to hold food therein and comprises a base 21 , side walls 22, and an open top 23 that may be covered or sealed by a lid (not shown). The base 21 is generally flat, ensuring stability when the container 20 is placed on a generally flat surface 40 such as a tabletop or counter. The sleeve 30 has a tubular structure into which the container 20 is inserted such that the sleeve 30 is provided around the container 20 and engages the container with an interference fit. The tubular sleeve 30 comprises a band of material formed with an open top defined by a top edge 32 of the sleeve 30 and an open bottom defined by a bottom edge 31 of the sleeve 30.

[0017] The sleeve 30 is configured such that when the sleeve 30 engages the container 20 with the interference fit, the base 21 of the container 20 is spaced apart from the bottom edge 31 of the sleeve 30. This can be seen in FIG. 1 where a part 33 of the sleeve 30 extends beyond the base 21 of the container 20 when the sleeve 30 engages the container 20 with the interference fit. In this way, only the bottom edge 31 of the sleeve 30 comes into contact with any surface 40 onto which the food packaging assembly 10 could be placed, while the base 21 of the container 20 does not come into contact with any surface at all. The sleeve 30 thus serves to lift the base 21 of thecontainer 20 off any surface 40 on which the food packaging assembly 10 could be placed. In this way, the sleeve 30 prevents the base 21 of the container 20 from coming into contact with the surface 40, thereby preventing heat conduction between the base 21 of the container 20 and the surface 40.

[0018] As the base 21 of the container 20 does not come into contact with any surface 40, this reduces heat loss or gain due to conduction, which is the most significant cause of unwanted heat loss or gain from food packaging solutions. The presently disclosed food packaging assembly 10 is thus able to keep food either warm or cold as desired for an extended period of time by significantly reducing unwanted heat loss or gain due to conduction. Also, when the food packaging assembly 10 is placed on a surface 40, a cavity or volume 50 is created as defined by the base 21 of the container 20, the part 33 of the sleeve 30 that extends beyond the base 21 of the container 20, and the surface 40. Air in the cavity 50 helps to insulate the base 21 of the container 20 from heat loss or gain via conduction with the surface 40. The air cavity 50 also acts as a thermal barrier to reduce heat transfer by convection.

[0019] In order for the sleeve 30 to extend beyond the base 21 of the container 20, the sleeve 30 preferably has a height at least the same as or greater than a height of the side walls 22 of the container 20. A perimeter of the top edge 32 of the sleeve 30 is smaller than a perimeter of an upper part 28 of the container 20. The upper part 28 of the container 20 may be a top edge of the container 20 or an upper part 28 of the side walls 22 of the container 20. In this way, when the container 20 is placed in the sleeve 30, the container 20 is limited in its downward movement within the sleeve 30 such that the base 21 of the container 20 cannot reach a same level as the bottom edge 31 of the sleeve 30. This ensures that the base 21 of the container 20 never reaches the bottom edge 31 of the sleeve 30 when the container 20 is inserted into the sleeve 30. In this way, the bottom edge 31 of the sleeve 30 always extends beyond the base 21 of the container 20 when the container 20 is fitted into the sleeve 30, so that the sleeve 30 prevents the base 21 of the container 20 from coming into contact with the surface 40 on which the food packaging assembly 10 is placed.

[0020] Having the perimeter of the top edge 32 of the sleeve 30 smaller than the perimeter of the upper part 28 of the container 20 allows the sleeve 30 to engage thecontainer 20 with an interference fit. This ensures a snug fit of the top edge 32 of the sleeve 30 around the upper part 28 of the container 20 and prevents the sleeve 30 from sliding or detaching from the container 20. In this way, the sleeve 30 will not fall off the container 20 when the food packaging assembly 10 is picked up.

[0021] Preferably, the perimeter of the upper part 28 of the container 20 is greater than a perimeter of the base 21 of the container 20 such that the container 20 tapers inwards from its top 23 down to its base 21 as shown in FIG. 1 . This also means that the perimeter of the top edge 32 of the sleeve 30 is greater than the perimeter of the base 21 of the container 20, thereby allowing the sleeve 30 to be easily fitted over the container 20 (from the base 21 of the container 20 upwards) until the interference fit between the sleeve 30 and the container 20 is achieved.

[0022] Further preferably, a perimeter of the top edge 32 of the sleeve 30 is greater than a perimeter of the bottom edge 31 of the sleeve 30 such that the sleeve 30 also tapers inwards from its top edge 32 down to its bottom edge 31 . Having both the container 20 and the sleeve 30 tapering inwards in the downward direction allows a greater area of contact between the container 20 and the sleeve 30 to be achieved, so as to strengthen the interference fit between the sleeve 30 and the container 20.

[0023] The sleeve 30 may be formed from a sheet 60 of material as shown in FIG. 2. The sheet 60 has a height defined between a top edge 62 and a bottom edge 61 of the sheet 60, and a length defined between a first end 63 and a second end 64 of the sheet 60. In a first embodiment, the first end 63 and the second end 64 of the sheet 60 may be adhered together to form the tubular structure of the sleeve 30. In a second embodiment, two cuts 67, 68 may be made in the sheet 60, the first cut 67 severing only the top edge 62 of the sheet 60 and made adjacent the first end 61 of the sheet 60, the second cut 68 severing only the bottom edge 61 of the sheet 60 and made adjacent the second end 64 of the sheet 60. The sleeve 30 may be assembled by interlocking the first cut 67 with the second cut 68 to form the tubular structure of the sleeve 30. In other embodiments, other known interlocking or joining configurations (not shown) may be provided to connect the first end 63 with the second end 64 of the sheet 60 to form the tubular structure of the sleeve 30.

[0024] Preferably, the sleeve 30 is made of a sheet 60 comprising one or more layers of one or more pliable insulating materials, such as foam, paper, card stock, or corrugated cardboard as shown in FIG. 3, for example. Such materials provide additional insulation and reduce heat exchange with the surrounding environment to reduce heat loss or gain from the side walls 22 of the container 20 due to convection. Such materials also prevent users from burning their hands if they pick up the food packaging assembly 10 when the container 20 is holding very hot food therein. This is particularly advantageous when the container 20 is made of a material such as aluminium, which is well known to be an excellent material for food containers, but which is also a good conductor of heat.

[0025] In some configurations (not shown), the sleeve 30 may include additional reinforcements, such as ribs or stiffeners, to improve its structural integrity. In further configurations, the sleeve may be permanently attached to the container, such as via an adhesive.

[0026] Preferably, the sleeve 30 is removably interference-fitted with the container 20 so that the sleeve can be removed from the container 20. In this way, if desired, the container 20, which may be made of aluminium, may be immersed in hot water to heat up food in the container 20, or the container 20 may be immersed in cold water or ice to keep food cold in the container 20.

[0027] While there has been described in the foregoing description exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the technology concerned that many variations in details of design, construction and / or operation may be made without departing from the present invention. Many further alterations, modifications and permutations of various aspects of the described embodiments are possible that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Claims1 . A sleeve for a container configured to hold food therein, the sleeve having a tubular structure configured to be provided around the container and to engage the container with an interference fit to form a food packaging assembly; wherein when the sleeve engages the container with the interference fit, a bottom edge of the sleeve extends beyond a base of the container, thereby preventing the base of the container from coming into contact with a surface on which the food packaging assembly could be placed and thus preventing heat conduction between the base of the container and the surface.

2. The sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve has a height greater than a height of side walls of the container.

3. The sleeve according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a perimeter of a top edge of the sleeve is smaller than a perimeter of an upper part of the container.

4. The sleeve according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a perimeter of a top edge of the sleeve is greater than a perimeter of the bottom edge of the sleeve.

5. The sleeve according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sleeve is made of a sheet of at least one layer of a pliable insulating material.

6. The sleeve according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sleeve is configured to be removably interference-fitted with the container.

7. A food packaging assembly comprising: a container configured to hold food therein; and a tubular sleeve provided around the container and engaging the container with an interference fit; wherein a bottom edge of the sleeve extends beyond a base of the container, thereby preventing the base of the container from coming into contact with a surface on which the food packaging assembly could be placed and thus preventing heat conduction between the base of the container and the surface.

8. The food packaging assembly according to claim 7, wherein the sleeve has a height greater than a height of side walls of the container.

9. The food packaging assembly according to claims 7 or 8, wherein a perimeter of a top edge of the sleeve is smaller than a perimeter of an upper part of the container.

10. The food packaging assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein a perimeter of a top edge of the sleeve is greater than a perimeter of the bottom edge of the sleeve.11 . The food packaging assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the sleeve is made of a sheet comprising at least one layer of pliable insulating material.

12. The food packaging assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 11 , wherein the sleeve is removably interference-fitted with the container.

13. The food packaging assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein the container tapers inwards from its top down to its base.

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