Food Package Lid Foil With Attached Container
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food packages for ready meals often result in food mixing during transfer, and require multiple packages for different meals, with complex production methods that are not cost-effective for small producers.
Innovation Solution
A food package design featuring a lid with an additional food container made from foldable foil, which can be supplied as a roll, allowing for easy production and separation of additional food products, with temperature or microwave-sensitive seals to open during heating, and a removable bottom for secure attachment and easy opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a rigid pot is attached to the lid to hold additional food products, then the additional food can be stored separately, but the production requires extensive machinery and is not cost-effective for small producers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid pots with flexible foil containers that can be formed directly in the lid during the sealing process. The foil is heated and formed into a three-dimensional container shape using heating elements, eliminating the need for complex rigid molding machinery while still providing separate storage compartments for additional food products.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses temperature parameter changes to transform the foil from a flat state to a three-dimensional container shape. By controlling the temperature of heating elements during the sealing process, the foil is selectively heated and formed into the desired container geometry, enabling flexible formation without complex mechanical molding equipment.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the additional food container is made from rigid material, then it can hold food products, but it cannot be supplied as a roll and requires extensive machinery for production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible foil material that can be continuously supplied in roll form and dynamically formed into three-dimensional containers during the sealing process. This eliminates the need for complex rigid molding machinery while enabling the container to be supplied as a roll, improving adaptability and versatility for different production scenarios.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the lid is made from thin transparent plastic film, then it allows microwave heating, but it cannot provide separate compartments for different food products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the lid into multiple separate compartments formed from the same thin foil material. Each compartment can be independently formed and sealed, creating separate storage spaces for different food products while maintaining the overall simplicity of the lid structure and preserving microwave heating capability through the thin foil construction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables cost-effective production and separation of additional food products within the package, preventing mixing and contamination during storage and heating, while allowing for controlled release of sauces or condiments onto the main meal.
Implementation Method 1
The additional food container (4) is attached to the lid (3) by a temperature sensitive seal such that the additional food container (4) will open up when the seal between the additional food container (4) and the lid (3) is above a specific temperature
Implementation Method 2
The additional food container (4) is attached to the lid (3) by a microwave sensitive seal such that the additional food container (4) will open up when the seal between the additional food container (4) and the lid (3) has been exposed to a predefine amount of microwave radiation
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
A food package comprising a food tray and a lid, where the food package comprises an additional food container comprised in the lid of the food package. The invention further relates to a food package foil for a food package, where the foil comprises lid portions and intermediate foil portions, where the food package foil further comprises an additional food container comprised in the lid portion of the foil. The advantage of the invention is that an additional food can be held separated from the rest of the food but can be prepared at the same time. The invention also relates to a method for filling and sealing an additional food container comprised in a lid of a food tray.