Vacuum Food Container Structure That Prevents Shape Collapse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cooked or baked foods, such as pizzas or pies, lose their shape and volume when directly vacuum-packaged, becoming unappetizing and unsuitable for display or sale due to vacuum pressure.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum sealable container with a base and lid featuring convex load bearing units, canal-shaped reinforcement ribs, and scalloped edges that maintain the food's shape and volume under vacuum conditions, allowing for reinforced support against pressure differentials and self-sealing capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If food is directly vacuum-packaged, then the volume of the package is reduced, but the food loses its shape and volume becoming unappetizing
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple compartments separated by runners, with blades that can cut food into portions. This segmentation allows the food to be divided into smaller units that maintain their shape independently while being packaged together, preventing the food from collapsing under vacuum pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The container acts as an intermediary between the food and the vacuum environment. The rigid container structure with reinforcement ribs provides mechanical support to the food, preventing it from deforming under vacuum pressure while still allowing the vacuum to be applied to extend shelf life.
2Reliability
If vacuum pressure is applied to packaged food, then the shelf life is extended, but the food becomes deformed and unsuitable for display
Solution Approach 1:
The container features curved scalloped edges and rounded reinforcement ribs rather than sharp corners. These curved structural elements better distribute the vacuum pressure evenly across the container walls, preventing stress concentration that would cause food deformation while maintaining the vacuum seal for extended shelf life.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is made from materials with appropriate mechanical properties to resist vacuum pressure while maintaining food shape. The combination of rigid plastic material with reinforcement ribs creates a composite structure that provides both the necessary strength to withstand vacuum and the flexibility to accommodate food items without deformation.
3Strength
If the container is designed with reinforcement structures, then the resistance to pressure differential is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement structure is segmented into discrete runners and blades that are integrated into the container walls. Rather than adding separate reinforcement components, the structure is divided into functional elements (runners for compartment separation, blades for food portioning) that simultaneously provide structural strength against pressure differentials.
Solution Approach 2:
The runners and blades serve multiple functions: they provide structural reinforcement against vacuum pressure, divide the container into compartments for organization, and can cut food into portions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, maintaining relatively simple device complexity while achieving high pressure resistance.
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 container effectively maintains the shape and volume of food items under vacuum seal conditions, enabling long-term storage without chilling or freezing, and allows for display or shipping without deformation, while also providing self-sealing functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum sealable container for baked or cooked food... the container is at least one of: sealed with a vacuum when used with a vacuum sealing bag and a vacuum machine
Implementation Method 2
at least one of: the at least one blade, the at least one runner and the at least two reinforcement ribs provide reinforced support against deformation from a pressure differential of up to 2 kg/cm2
Data Source
AI summary
A vacuum sealable container for baked or cooked food including a base section to receive the food in its entirety, the base section having at least one runner where the at least one runner divides the base section into equally sized portions and a lid shaped to fit the base section, the lid having at least one blade where the at least one blade slots into the at least one runner when the lid is placed over the base to close the container and where the at least one blade performs at least one of: cutting the food into the equally sized portions and holding the food in place between the at least one blade and the at least one runner and where the container is at least one of: sealed with a vacuum when used with a vacuum sealing bag and a vacuum machine and self-sealing.