Package for Uniformly Shaped Chip Snack Food Products

The present invention relates to food products and more particularly to a package of shaped snack products. The packaging of snack chips such as potato chips has in the past involved placing irregularly shaped chips into a bag in a random unoriented manner. Such bags are made typically from one or more sheets of waxed paper or glassine. Although this type of bag is relatively inexpensive, it provides little protection for the fragile chips during handling and shipping. Thus, it is quite common to have a number of broken chips in the bag. Another possible package for chip type snacks of uniform shape and size involves vertically stacking the chips one upon the other to form a straight column. The column may be placed within a substantially rigid tubular container. The tubular container may be sealed closed by securing ends thereto. It has been found that when such container is dropped on its bottom (i.e., one of such ends) the chips nearest such end tend to break. Broken chips do not normally meet with consumer acceptance.

Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide a protective package for uniformly shaped fragile chip type snack food products which will prevent breakage of such items while in shipment and during handling. It has been found that chip breakage is reduced when the chips are supported on their edges. In other words, the chips are disposed in the package with their major surfaces perpendicular to the bottom of the supporting portion of the container. The present invention contemplates a loop array of nested uniform chips and packaging suitable for maintaining the chips in the loop array. The present invention in the circular or loop array provides protection regardless of the direction from which the package is dropped.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description in which certain preferred embodiments are disclosed .

FIG. I is an elevational view of the package according to the present invention partially broken away to show the arrangement of the contents within the container;

FIG. II is a cross sectional view of the package shown in FIG. I taken along the line II--II;

FIG. III is a top view of the package shown in FIG. I with the top removed;

FIG. IV is a perspective view of one form of chip which may be contained in the present packaging;

FIG. V is a cross sectional view of the chip shown in FIG. IV taken along the line V--V;

FIGS. VI-VIII show an embodiment of the present invention including a container caddy;

FIGS. IX and X show another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. XI and XII show a further embodiment.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. I-III show a container 10 having a bottom 12 of circular shape, an upstanding side wall 14 and an outwardly extending top flange 16. The bottom 12 has a raised portion 18 and curved portion 20. The side walls 14 and curved portion 20 are designed to substantially conform to the outside curvature and bottom configuration respectively of a chip-type snack food product 22 to be packaged therein.

The outwardly extending top flange 16 is adapted to hold a cover 24 in place across the top of the container 10. The cover 24 is snugly fit over the flange 16 by means of a downwardly extending lip 26. The container 10 and cover 24 can be constructed of any material that may be formed, such as metal, plastic, paper or combination thereof, and which is sufficiently strong and rigid to withstand handling and shipping loads. Drawn aluminum has been used to make a container 10 while pressed board lined with aluminum foil has been used to make a cover 24. The cover 24 may also be secured to the flange 16 by gluing, heat sealing or other adhesive means.

It is an essential element of the present invention that the chip products to be packaged are thin and substantially uniform in shape and size so they may be nested one within the other to form a loop, preferably a closed loop. Desirably, the closed loop is in the form of a circular array.

FIGS. IV and V illustrate a type of uniform chip product which can be successfully packaged according to the present invention. The product 28 may have an upper curved major surface 30 and a lower curved major surface 32. The surfaces 30 and 32 are formed from single curves in FIG. IV. Alternatively, the products may have upper and lower major surfaces curved in each of two orthogonal planes. Although many shaped variations within this framework are possible, it is desirable in the marketing of potato chips or similar products to use the general shape in which such products are presently marketed since that is a form with which customers are familiar.

Another embodiment is disclosed in FIGS. VI-VIII, the package 10a may include a chip container 11a and a container caddy 12a. The container 11a may include a lower member 13a, an upper member 14a and a locking device 16a. The terms "upper," "lower" and the like when used in describing the present invention will be in reference to the package or container as positioned in FIG. VII. The terms "radially outer" and "radially inner" when used in describing the present invention will be in reference to the package or container as shown in FIGS. VI and VIII. The portions 13a and 14a may be formed from any suitable material which may be shaped and will not adversely affect the edible contents (e.g. does not result in toxicity). The material should not result in a taste or an odor transfer to the chips. Preferably the material provides visability of the contents and desirably provides an oxygen and moisture barrier. The portions 13a and 14a, for example, may be vacuum formed from polyvinyl chloride film. Alternatively, one member such as 14a may be of a nontransparent material such as aluminum or high density polyethylene. The other member 13a may be a transparent material such as polyvinyl chloride. The member 13a has a channel 17a which conforms substantially to the shape of the lower portion of the nested chips 18a, for example, U-shaped. The channel 17a is defined by a radially inner wall and a radially outer wall. It is desirable that the chips fit snugly into the channel 17a. Member 13a may include a rib 19a for purposes of strengthening the container 11a. The rib 19a permits distribution of support of the chips along the lower side edges of the chips rather than principally on the lower tip of the chips. Member 13a has a center flange or web 23a and an outwardly extending flange 24a for purposes hereinafter described. Member 14a may be constructed somewhat similar to member 13a and includes a channel 27a which is shaped substantially like the upper portion of the nested chips 18a, such as U-shaped. In other words, a member 14a has a radially inner wall and a radially outer wall. It is desirable that the chips fit snugly into channel 27a. Member 14a may include a rib 29a for purposes of strengthening the member 14a. The member 14a has a center flange or web 33a and an outwardly extending flange 34a. The members 13a and 14a may be secured or locked together in any of a variety of ways. The simplest method is to secure such portions together by applying a strip of tape to over-lie the edges of flanges 24a and 34a. The tape may be applied by hand. Alternatively, various locking devices may be built into the portions 13a and 14a.

The container 11a shown in FIGS. VI-VII further includes a snap lock ring 16a for holding the members 13a and 14a together when the container is closed. The members 13a and 14a may be held together by snap locks 56a and 57a provided in the center webs 23a and 33a (as shown in FIG. VIII).

If desired, the container 11a may be mounted in a container caddy 12a. The caddy 12a may be constructed of paper board and has a first member 25a and a second member 35a. The member 25a may include four side walls 37a, 38a, 39a, and 40a. The member 25a further includes the upper wall 41a, and has an opening 42a through which a portion of container 11a may extend. The opening 42a is not so large as to permit the flanges 24a and 34a to pass therethrough.

The member 35a may be constructed similar to member 25a and includes side walls such as 43a and 44a (FIG. VII). The member 35a further includes a lower wall 45a. Member 35a is slightly smaller than member 25a so that member 25a may slide snugly over member 35a. Member 35a may have a platform or spacer 46a. The container 11a thus may be held between the spacer 46a and upper wall 41a. The members 25a and 35a may be secured together by small portions of tape. The caddy 12a permits display of the container 11a in various positions, for example, the package 10a may be displayed in the vertical position as shown in FIG. VI or the horizontal position as shown in FIG. VII. Promotional and instructional information may be printed on the caddy 12a.

A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. IX and X. Container 10b may include an upper member 11b, a lower member 13b and an interconnecting member 12b. The upper member 11b may include an inwardly extending central portion 14b for purposes hereinafter described. The member 11b includes a flat radially outwardly extending portion 16b and a snap portion 17b.

The lower member 13b may be constructed identical to upper member 11b and may include a central inwardly extending portion 18b, a radially outwardly extending portion 19b and a snap portion 21b. Portions 11b and 13b may be suitably prepared from polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride sheet material (such as by vacuum forming). The inner connecting portion 12b may comprise a short tube or sleeve member. The member 12b may be constructed of paper board or a polyethylene material. As shown in FIG. 1, the members 11b and 12b simply snap onto the sleeve member 12b. If desired, either or both may be secured to sleeve member 12b with a suitable adhesive material. As shown, the container 10b does provide a circular channel 22b in which the ring of chips may be contained.

A further embodiment is shown in FIGS. XI and XII. The package 10c includes the ring of chips 11c and a shrink wrap material 12c surrounding the ring of chips 11c. The shrink wrap 12c serves to maintain the nested chips in desired circular or loop array configuration.

It has been found that single curved chips when stacked one upon another have a small gap between the inner surface of one chip and the outer surface of the next chip. This may be true of each of the chips in a stack. An impact on either end of such a stack tends to flex the chip to eliminate the small gap. Such flexing breaks the chips. If the chips are so positioned in the package that they receive the impact on the edges of the chip the flexing is reduced or eliminated and in turn, the breakage is reduced or eliminated. A closed circular array or a closed loop array has no beginning and no ending and consequently, eliminates that possibility of an impact on the end of the package. An impact on a circular array is on the edges of the chips regardless of the direction from which the impact is received. Moreover, chips placed in a circular or loop array tend to shingle which reduces or eliminates the small gap between the chips. Thus the present invention provides a circular array or a loop array of nested chips which is highly resistent to breakage. The present invention provides packaging which is suitable for maintaining the chips in such a loop or circular array.

Although several specific examples have been described, the present invention includes a wide variety of other embodiments which are within the scope of the following claims.