Microwave Food Pouch with Inflatable Segments and Vents

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing microwave food packages struggle to effectively vent moisture during cooking, leading to undesirable textures and reduced crispiness or browning due to inadequate moisture removal, which can cause the susceptor to lose contact with the food, especially when vents are positioned too closely to sealed edges or occupy excessive surface area, reducing the susceptor's ability to interface with the food from multiple points.

Innovation Solution

A single-use pre-packaged frozen food product with a sealed pouch featuring a susceptor material and strategically positioned vents that allow for controlled moisture release, using a flexible material with inflatable segments to ensure susceptor contact with the food through both top and bottom orientations, while maintaining sufficient susceptor surface area for effective cooking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If larger surface area vents are used to remove more moisture, then moisture removal is improved, but susceptor surface area for food contact is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemoisture removalVSAvoidsusceptor surface area

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The vent is divided into multiple discrete openings distributed across the pouch surface rather than one large vent. This segmentation allows sufficient total vent area for moisture removal while preserving susceptor coverage in any single location, as the susceptor can contact food at multiple distributed points around the smaller vent openings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Quantity of substance

If vents are positioned close to sealed edges, then moisture venting is improved, but susceptor contact with food is reduced due to pouch expansion

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemoisture ventingVSAvoidsusceptor contact

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The pouch is pre-inflated with gas or air before sealing, creating internal pressure that maintains the pouch in a expanded state during cooking. This preliminary inflation counteracts the expansion caused by moisture generation, keeping the susceptor in reliable contact with the food even when vents are positioned near sealed edges for effective moisture removal.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If susceptor coverage is increased for better food contact, then cooking effectiveness is improved, but vent surface area is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefood contactVSAvoidmoisture release

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The venting function is segmented into multiple small openings distributed across the pouch rather than concentrated in one large area. This allows the susceptor to maintain high coverage for effective food contact while the distributed small vents collectively provide sufficient moisture release capability without compromising susceptor surface area.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

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

The solution enables desirable levels of crispiness and browning by ensuring appropriate moisture removal and susceptor contact, balancing vent size and placement to prevent pouch expansion away from the food, thus enhancing the roasting, crisping, and cooking quality of frozen foods in microwave ovens.

Implementation Method 1

a susceptor material lining an interior surface configured to interface with the frozen food during microwave cooking

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMicrowave absorption: Absorption (EM radiation)

Implementation Method 2

the susceptor on the interior surface to be pushed into contact with the food... which heats the susceptor through absorbance of the microwave energy

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectJoule heating: Joule Heating

Implementation Method 3

a flexible material defining a plurality of inflatable segments... During microwave cooking, moisture is released from the frozen food, and potentially from material forming the sealed pouch, and inflates the inflatable segments, causing the susceptor on the interior surface to be pushed into contact with the food

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal expansion: Thermal Expansion

Data Source

PatentUS20240043195A1Microwave food product with vent for roasting

Publication Date: 2024.02.08 CONAGRA FOODS RDM INC

AI summary

Single-use pre-packaged frozen food products are described that are configured for roasting the food product in a microwave oven. In aspects, a sealed pouch is formed from a flexible material defining a plurality of inflatable segments to create an interface between a susceptor material and the food product. One or more vents are included through the flexible material to release moisture as the food product is subjected to the microwave process while retaining enough moisture to inflate the inflatable segments to interface the susceptor with the frozen food during microwave cooking, which can facilitate roasting, crisping, browning, or otherwise cooking of the frozen food.