RE-SEALABLE FOOD CONTAINER WITH EVIDENT ALTERATION INDICATOR
Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a resealable container and, in particular, to a new and improved resealable container having a resealable sealing label that can be pulled back and turned against a upper portion of the container and including an indicator of product integrity that is generally referred to in the art as an indicator of obvious alteration. Background of the Invention Containers for food products such as biscuits and other snacks typically include a frame surrounded by an outer wrapper. The frame acts as a tray to hold the food product and to protect the food product from damage. One normally obtains access to the contents of the container by opening one end of the wrapper, removing the tray from the interior thereof, and then removing the food product from the tray. However, these containers generally do not provide a convenient opening and re-closing arrangement. For example, the re-closure of the envelope, once opened, generally includes simply folding or rolling the end down and holding the end to keep the envelope closed. Seals capable of being resealed have been used to dispense wet tissue bags or disposable cleaning towels. The labels on these bags can be pulled back, thereby exposing an opening, allowing access to wet wipes or towels inside. Typically, these dispensing bags are completely flexible, formed exclusively of a plastic or other suitable flexible material that closely surrounds the packaging of wet wipes or towels. Examples of these dispensing bags include patents US 4,840,270 and 6,028,953, design patent US D 447,054 and patent application publication US 2002/0182359. However, such known dispensing bags are not well suited to contain food products as these containers fail to provide adequate protection for storing food products. A resealable dispensing pouch for wet tissues includes an indicator of tamper evident in the form of a plurality of pre-cut patterns, e.g., small ovals formed on the label that seals the closed pouch. Upon backward alarming the label for the first time, the plurality of ovals remain fixed to the upper part of the dispensing bag. Thus, the absence of the ovals from the label and their presence in the upper part of the dispensing bag indicates that the bag has been previously opened.
In another pre-dispensing pouch for moistened handkerchiefs, shown in US Pat. No. 6,426,867, evidence of tampering is provided by a sealing label with an ink layer in the sealing area leaving traces of ink in the sealing area to indicate that the packaging has been previously opened. There is a need in the matter for a re-sealable container capable of containing food items that includes an obvious alteration indicator. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The purpose of the present invention is to provide a new and improved container for food products such as biscuits and the like, which container provides adequate protection for the contents thereof, while concurrently facilitating the opening of the container wrap and - Sealing the seal to protect the content thereof until the content is completely consumed, and which container is provided with an obvious alteration indicator that indicates whether the container has been previously unsealed. This purpose is achieved by providing a suitable container for such food products, in combination with an easily accessible opening seal formed on a different surface than an end surface., which seal can re-close the container during use, and an indicator that indicates whether or not the container has been previously opened. According to one embodiment, the present invention comprises a food container of polygonal shape comprising a frame defining the polygonal figure of the container which contains a food product. A wrap surrounds the frame and forms an upper part of the container. The upper part has an access opening such as to provide hand access to the food content of the container. A sealing layer is adhesively sealed to the top around the opening. The seal layer is re-sealable and capable of closing against the top to seal the opening when the seal layer moves back against the top. An obvious alteration structure is associated with the sealing label. According to an arrangement, the apparent alteration structure may include at least one elongated strip positioned parallel to the direction of pulling back the sealing layer and which is located in a sealing area between the access opening and the edge adjacent to the container where the sealing layer is adhesively sealed to the top. The elongated strip can be formed from a portion of the upper part. When opening the container for the first time, one end of the elongated strip falls into the container. The sealing layer may include an initial portion such as a tab for gripping the sealing layer on a tongue end of the sealing layer. The elongate strip will be located in the sealing area, at least at the tongue end of the container. In various alternative embodiments of the apparent alteration structure of the present invention, the apparent alteration structure comprises tape extending along at least a portion of a perimeter where the sealing layer contacts the top, as length of both the sealing layer and the upper part. The evident alteration tape must be removed prior to or at the same time as the sealing layer opens for the first time. The tape leaves an indicator at the top after the tape is removed. In yet another alternative apparent alteration structure, a removable film is disposed under the sealing layer, which film must be removed to gain access to the contents of the container. In yet another form, the apparent alteration structure comprises a perforated sealed tape extending along at least a portion of a perimeter where the sealing layer contacts the top along both the sealing layer and the upper part. . The perforated tape must be removed prior to or at the same time as the sealing layer opens for the first time. The perforated tape leaves a portion of the perforated seal tape at the top after the perforated tape is removed.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a polygonal food container comprises a frame defining a polygonal shape of the container and containing a food product. A wrap surrounds the frame and forms the upper part of the container. The upper part has an access opening such as to provide access to the food product. A sealing layer is adhesively sealed to the top in a sealing area between the access opening and an adjacent edge of the top. The sealing layer is operable to expose the access opening and lockable against the top to seal the access opening. Means are provided to pull the sealing layer back to open the access opening. Apparent alteration means are located in the sealing area between the access opening and the adjacent edge of the container and are constructed such that when the sealing layer opens the access opening for the first time, evidence of alteration is provided and is visible after the sealing layer closes again. According to another aspect of the present invention, a container for a food product comprises an envelope surrounding the food product and forming an upper part of the container. The upper part has an access opening such as to provide access to the food product. A seal layer will be. adhesively seals to the top in a sealing area between the access opening and an adjacent edge of the top. The sealing layer is operable to expose the access opening and capable of being reclosed against the top to seal the access opening. Means are provided to pull the sealing layer back to open the access opening. An elongated strip, positioned parallel to the direction of pulling the seal layer backward and located in the sealing area between the access opening and the adjacent edge of the package is constructed such that when the sealing layer opens the access opening For the first time, one end of the elongated strip falls into the container. In several additional embodiments of the container, the elongated strip is formed from a portion of the upper part and the seal layer is transparent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in detail with respect to preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a resealing container according to the present invention. , in a closed configuration; Figure 2a is a perspective view of the container of Figure 1 in a partially open condition; Figure 2b is a sectional view of the container of Figure 1, taken along line 2b-2b of the Figure Figure 3 is a perspective view of a frame of the container of Figure 1; Figure 4a is a perspective view of a re-sealable food container having another indicator of obvious alteration, shown in a sealed condition; Figure 4b is a perspective view of the container of Figure 4a with the evident alteration indicator partially removed, - Figure 5 is a perspective view of a re-sealable container having another indicator of obvious alteration; Figure Sa is a perspective view of a re-sealable container with another indicator of obvious alteration, shown in a sealed condition; Figure 6b is a perspective view of the container of Figure 6a shown in a partially open condition; Figure 7 is a perspective view of a re-sealable food container of different polygonal shape; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a re-sealable food container of different polygonal shape; Figure 9 is a perspective view of a frame for a re-sealable food container according to the present invention; Figure 10 is a perspective view of ano frame for a re-sealable food container; Figure 11 is a perspective view of ano different frame for a re-sealable food container; And Figure 12 is a plan view of a different apparent alteration structure according to present invention. Detailed Description of Invention With reference now to drawings, similar numbers represent similar elements throughout various views. Referring now specifically to Figures 1, 2a and 2b, re-sealable container 10 includes a shell 11 that forms an upper part 12, a lower part 13, opposite sides 14a and 14b, and opposite ends 15a and 15b. flap 16, when pulled back from container 10, forms an opening 18. envelope 11 extends beyond ends of upper part 12 and lower part 13 at ends 15a and
15b, wherein the wrapper 11 is corrugated together to form corrugated stamps 21a, 21b. A sealing layer in the form of a sealing label 20 is affixed to the flap 16. Advantageously, the sealing label 20 is permanently affixed to the flap 15 using an appropriate adhesive. The sealing label 20 covers a substantial portion of the upper part 12 extending from the vicinity of the end 15b to the vicinity of the end 15a in which it has a pigeon tail end 17, and from the proximity of the side 14a to the proximity of side 14b.
The surface area of the sealing label 20 is advantageously proportional to the size of the opening 18. For example, if the sealing label 20 is too large, the cover could be trapped or overlap corners of the container 10, or it could be caught in the corrugated seals. 21a, 21b, both potentially obstructing the functionality of the sealing label 20. Advantageously, the surface area of the sealing label 20 should be about 1.5 to 2 times and more preferably about 1.8 times the size of the opening 18. Furthermore, it is advantageous to have the opening size 18 being proportional to the size of the container 10 and food products such that, when the container is still filled with food product, the consumer has easy ac to at least 90 percent of the food product 23 within the container, for example, not requiring one to reach deep into the container 10 under the top 12 to obtain that to a food article contained in it. Of course, as the container 10 is emptied, the consumer can gain easy ac to the remaining food product. Charts can be formed on the sealing label 20 which are aligned with corresponding graphics on the upper part 12 when the sealing label 20 is sealed or otherwise in a flat position on the upper part 12. Alternatively, the sealing label 20 may be transparent, allowing the graphics on the top 12 to be visible through the seal label 20. A start portion, eg, a tab 22 extends from the end of the sealing label 24 opposite the end pigeon tail 17. As a result, the tongue 22 can be grasped by a finger and thumb such that the tongue 22 is easily acible for one to pull. In addition, the tongue 22 facilitates the closure of the container. The size of the tab 22 and its figure are optimized for functionality. Advantageously, the tongue 22 has a surface area of 1 to 6 percent of the total surface area of the sealing label 20. Adhesive 26 is applied to the surface of the sealing label 20 which is in contact with the upper part 12 a along a perimeter around the fin 16. Advantageously, the adhesive 26 provides a removable seal between the sealing label 20 and the upper part 12. The adhesive 26 does not apply to the upper portion 22. The absence of an adhesive on the tab 22 allows a consumer to more easily grasp the starting portion to open container 10 since tongue 22 does not need to be sealed to top 12. Furthermore, by giving a consumer a specific portion of the sealing cover When pulling, the consumer is not led to touch the adhesive portion of the sealing label 20. Such a touch may cause the sealing layer to lose its adhesiveness and thus not provide a proper seal. against the upper part 12 of the container 10.
This can, in turn, allow air to gain ac to the interior of the container 10 and the food product contained therein. The container 10 is transformed from a closed condition shown in Figure 1 to a partially open condition illustrated in Figures 2a, 2b by grasping the tongue 22 between the fingers and thumb of a person and pulling back on the label seal 20 to gain ac to opening 18. Once container 10 is opened, one can remove individual food product 23 contained within the container 10 through the opening 18. An apparent alteration structure of the container 10 includes a plurality of slots 27 surrounding the evident alteration strips 28. Selling the sealing label 20 is transparent along its perimeter such that the evident alteration strips 28 are visible through the seal label 20. The noticeable alteration strips 28 can be formed using an advantageous method that includes applying seal label 20 to raw material comprising the envelope 11. Followed, slots 27 are cut with die inside the envelope 11 from the side opposite the seal label 20 to form evident alteration strips 28. The slot 27 is cut with die on three sides, sides 27a, 27b and 27c, but not 27d. In one form, the slots are approximately 1.5 inches long and 0.125 inches wide. This method can also be used to form the flap 16. The slots 27 furthest to the left (those closest to the end 15b) of Figure 1 are drawn using broken lines to indicate that the slots 27 can move either to the right or to the left. Prior to opening the package 10 for the first time, the strips 28 are attached to the adhesive 26 of the sealing label 20. When the sealing label 20 is pulled back for the first time, the strip ends 28a fall into the container 10, thereby indicating that the container 10 has been opened. When the seal label 20 is returned to a planar position along the top 12, evident alteration strips 26 beyond ends 27d remain inside the container 10. Thus, if the seal label 20 is transparent, one you can immediately see through the label that the strips 287 have fallen into the container, meaning that the container has been opened. Advantageously, the strips 28 also indicate a pre-opening of the package if the label 20 is opaque. For this purpose, at least one slot 27 with a respective strip 28 is in close proximity with the end of the access opening 18 proximate the tab 22. This location allows the respective tamper evident strip 28 to indicate that the container 10 has It has been previously opened once the sealing layer has started to be removed, that is, detached backwards, for the first time. As a result, the partial backward detachment of the seal tag 20 from the top 12 will allow a tamper evident strip 28 to indicate that the container 10 has been previously opened. In other words, only light opening of the container 10 will indicate that the container has been previously opened, such that slight removal of the sealing label 20 indicates the possibility that the container 10 has been altered. The obvious alteration strips 28 are illustrated in Figures 1, 2a, and 2b as having an elongated rectangular shape. Alternatively, the obvious alteration strips may have other shapes such as the obvious alteration strip 120 illustrated in FIG. 12. The obvious alteration strip 120 has a tapered portion 122 with an extension portion or knob 124 resulting in the alteration strip obvious 120 resembling a baseball bat figure. The casing 11 surrounds a frame 30 which forms a tray for the contents of the food product. With reference to Figure 3, the frame 30 comprises a rigid material which forms the figure of the container 10. Suitable rigid materials include plastics and cardboard. The frame 30 includes ends 31a and 31b, a divider 32 which divides the frame 30 into a first section 34 and a second section 36. The frame 30 can be of any polygonal shape such as the rectangular figure illustrated in Figure 3. rectangular shaped frame 30 forms a rectangular shaped container 10. Alternatively, frames of different polygonal shape will form containers having the corresponding polygonal figure. In various alternative embodiments of the present container, obvious alteration alteration structures are provided. With reference to Figures 4a and 4b, the container 40 includes an obvious alteration structure in the form of an evident alteration tape 42 which is applied along two portions of the perimeter 45 where the sealing label 20 contacts the the upper part 12. The evident alteration tape 42 must be removed prior to or at the same time as the sealing label 20 is pulled back for the first time. Once the obvious alteration tape 42 is peeled back from the wrap 11, indicators 44 of the obvious alteration tape 42 remain on the top 12 as evidence that the obvious alteration tape 42 has been previously removed. For example, the indicators of the word "OPENED" (open) 46 in Figure 4b make it evident that the evident alteration tape 42 has been removed. Referring now to Figure 5, yet another obvious alteration structure is provided in the container 50 which includes a perforated seal tape 52 which is positioned along two portions of the perimeter 55 where the sealing label 20 makes contact with the top 12. When the sealing label 20 is pulled back from the top 12 for the first time, the portion 54 of the perforated seal tape 52 remains in the upper part 12 thereby indicating that the seal layer 20 previously it has been removed from the container 50. With reference to figures 6a and 6b, in an alternative obvious alteration structure, the container 80 includes a film 62 disposed under the sealing label 20. The film 62 can be made of plastic or foil. includes a film tab 64 which one pulls to remove the film 62. In use, one opens the container 60 in the same manner as the container 10 and then removes and discards the film removable 62 to gain access to the food contents contained within the container 60. To re-seal the container 60, the sealing label 20 is moved back to a flat position as illustrated in Figure 6a. In an alternative embodiment, instead of a rectangular container, the container may be in the form of any container of polygonal shape. As discussed previously, the polygonal shape of the container takes its shape from the frame that is covered by a wrapper. For example, with reference to Figure 7, the container 70 comprises a polygonal container of triangular shape formed by the envelope 71 surrounding the frame 72. In an alternative polygonal figure, Figure 8 illustrates the container 80 in the figure of a defined hexagon by the wrapper 81 surrounding the frame 82.
As in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, one obtains access to the contents of the containers 70, 80 by pulling back on the tabs 74, 84 of the sealing label 76, 86, respectively. In other alternative embodiments, different frames that the frame 30 can be used. For example, with reference to Figure 8, the frame 90 includes a plurality of dividers 92 which extend transversely across the width of the frame 90. Alternately, the frame 100 includes a plurality of dividers 102 extending longitudinally along the length. of the length of the frame 100 (figure 10) and the frame 110 (figure 11) does not include any divisor. The selection of a particular frame depends on the intended use. In addition, the various frames may include ends such as the frames 30, 90 and 100 which have ends 31a, 31b, 91a, 91b, 101a, 101b; or the frame can be opened at the ends such as the frame 110 with open ends Illa, 111b. The present invention offers numerous features and advantages over prior food containers. For example, in one form, the present invention includes a tongue element which extends beyond a corner of an upper or side of the container which makes the tongue more accessible to be grasped and to remove a sealing label of the container. A further feature of the present invention is provided by a re-sealable seal label that can be pulled back and then re-sealable against an upper portion of the container. This makes it possible to obtain easy access to the food product inside the container without having to open the end of the container, remove a tray containing the food product, remove the food product from the tray, return the tray back to the container, and close the end of the container. the bag. A further feature of the present invention is an obvious alteration structure which indicates whether the container has been previously opened. This structure of evident alteration allows a consumer to know if the container has been previously opened. In addition, the apparent alteration structure helps to ensure that the contents are fresh by indicating whether the container has been previously opened. Although the invention has been described in detail with respect to its preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the invention is capable of numerous modifications and variations within the scope and spirit of the invention.