Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02883975 2015-03-05
COOK-11\1, STAND UP POUCH FOR LIVE SHELLFISH
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure relates to packaging, and, more specifically, to
pouches for
packing and delivering of live shellfish and cooking the shellfish.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Conventionally, boxes, mesh bags and/or packages are used to distribute
live shellfish
to end users. To cook the live shellfish, the end users must open the boxes,
bags and/or
packages, remove the boxes, bags and/or packages to take out the shellfish and
transfer the
shellfish into cooking vessels for cooking. It is therefore desirable to
provide a cook-in
package that allows for shipping and distribution of live shellfish and
cooking of the shellfish.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is
provided a cook-in,
stand-up pouch, which includes: a main pocket for storing live shellfish; a
second pocket
formed upon the main pocket; an expansion member configured to: separate the
main pocket
and the second pocket, and automatically open the bottom of the second pocket
using steam
pressure build-up in the main pocket to expand a volume of the pouch available
for cooking
of the shellfish; and a venting member configured to: transmit air for
respiration of the live
shellfish in the pouch; and control a release of steam in the pouch toward the
outside of the
pouch.
[0004] In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is
provided a cook-
in, stand-up pouch, which includes a bottom wall; a front wall extending from
the bottom
wall; a back wall extending from the bottom wall; an expansion member, wherein
the front
wall, the back wall and the bottom wall substantially define a main pocket
having an inner
space for packing live shellfish, wherein the front wall, the back wall and
the expansion
member substantially define a second pocket having an inner space; and a
venting member,
the expansion member configured to: separate the main pocket and the second
pocket, and
automatically connect the main pocket and the second pocket using steam
pressure build-up in
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the main pocket to expand a volume of the pouch available for cooking of the
shellfish; and
the venting member configured to: transmit air for respiration of the live
shellfish in the
pouch; and control a release of steam in the pouch toward the outside of the
pouch.
[0005] In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is
provided a
method for providing a cook-in, stand-up pouch with live shellfish, which
includes: providing
a film comprising a bottom wall, a front wall extending from the bottom wall,
a back wall
extending from the bottom wall, an expansion member, and a venting member, the
peripheral
edges of the film being sealed, wherein the front wall, the back wall and the
bottom wall
substantially define a main pocket having an inner space for packing live
shellfish, wherein
the front wall, the back wall and the expansion member substantially defme a
second pocket
having an inner space; containing the live shellfish in the pouch; applying
compression on the
live shellfish in the pouch; closing the main pocket by using the expansion
member, the
bottom of the second pocket being separated from the main pocket; closing a
top section of
the pouch to close the top of the second pocket, wherein the expansion member
is configured
to: separate the main pocket and the second pocket, and automatically connect
the main
pocket and the second pocket using steam pressure build-up in the main pocket;
and wherein
the venting member is configured to: transmit air for respiration of the live
shellfish in the
pouch; and control a release of steam in the pouch toward the outside of the
pouch.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is now
made to the
following brief description, taken in connection with the accompanying
drawings and detailed
description.
[0007] FIGURE 1 is a schematic perspective front view of a pouch.
[0008] FIGURE 2 is a schematic perspective back view of the pouch shown in
FIGURE 1.
[0009] FIGURE 3 is a schematic plan view of a film of the pouch shown in
FIGURE 1 in its
unshaped, flat out state.
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[0010] FIGURE 4 is a schematic cross-section view of the film shown in FIGURE
3 where a
front wall and a back wall are folded to shape the pouch 100 of FIGURE 1.
[0011] FIGURE 5 is a schematic cross-section view of the film shown in FIGURE
3 where a
raised bottom section is formed in a bottom wall;
[0012] FIGURES 6A-6C are schematic views illustrating an example of a cooking
method
using the pouch of FIGURE 1;
[0013] FIGURE 7 is a schematic plane view of an example of the pouch shown in
FIGURE 1
in its shaped, but flat out state;
[0014] FIGURE 8 is a schematic plane view of the example of the pouch shown in
FIGURE 1
in its unshaped, flat out state; and
[0015] FIGURE 9 is a flow chart showing an example of a method for providing
the pouch
shown in FIGURE 1.
[0016] For simplicity and clarity of the illustration, elements in the
drawings are not
necessarily to scale, are only schematic and are non-limiting, and the same
reference numbers
in different figures denote the same elements, unless stated otherwise.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Pouches for live shellfish are described below, by way of example only,
with reference
to Figures 1-9. In the present disclosure, the pouches are configured to pack
and transport
live shellfish to end users and to be used for cooking of the shellfish in the
pouches. The term
"live shellfish" as used in the present disclosure may include any bivalve
shellfish, which may
include, for example, but not limited to, mussels, clams, and oysters. The
term "end user(s)"
as used in the present disclosure may include, for example, but not limited
to, chefs in
restaurants, institutional kitchens or other food service establishments,
customers, and/or
consumers. The pouch provides an environment for the live shellfish packed
into the pouch,
which may not affect the expected shelf-life of the shellfish throughout the
regular shipping,
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distribution, and selling period. The pouch is usable for cooking of the
shellfish packed into
the pouch.
[0018] Referring to Figures 1-5, a cook-in, stand-up pouch 100 for live
shellfish is provided.
By the way of example only, the live shellfish packed in the cook-in, stand-up
pouch 100 are
live mussels. The cook-in, stand-up pouch 100 is a package that provides an
environment
suitable for storage and transportation of the live mussels and cooking of the
mussels. For
example, the pouch 100 is configured to have breathability for the live
mussels, resistance to
product compression on the live mussels, heat resistance (e.g., microwavable),
leak resistance,
expansion ability, and steam retention, as described below. The term "steam"
as used in the
present disclosure may include vapors. The pouch 100 thereby provides an easy,
reliable and
convenient way to prepare and cook live mussels. The pouch 100 may be a
disposable and/or
recyclable, heat resistant, and compression resistant package. The pouch 100
allows the end
user to cook the mussels packed in the pouch, for example, using a microwave,
a grill or an
oven, without manually adding any alternation to the pouch 100 and without use
of an
additional cooking vessel. After cooking, the pouch 100 may be recycled or
disposed of with
little or no clean-up. The pouch 100 may have a dimension (e.g., length,
width, and/or height)
and/or a shape adapted for any cooking appliances (e.g., microwave ovens,
grilles, ovens)
suitable for cooking mussels. The dimension and/or the shape of each element
of the pouch
100 may be determined to allow the pouch 100 to stand up before, during and/or
after cooking
of the mussels.
[0019] The pouch 100 includes a main pocket (bottom pocket) 110, a second
pocket (upper
pocket) 120 and an expansion member 130. The second pocket 120 is disposed
onto the main
pocket 110. The expansion member 130 is configured to separate the main pocket
110 and
the second pocket 120, and also to open the bottom of the second pocket 120
during cooking
of the mussels, thereby providing a single large volume in the pouch 100
available for
cooking of the mussels, as described below.
[0020] The main pocket 110 is generally defined by a bottom section 202 of a
front wall 200,
a bottom section 212 of a back wall 210 and a bottom wall 220 together with
the expansion
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member 130. The main pocket 110 defines a first inner volume. The main pocket
110 is
configured to pack the live mussels having shells. When packing the live
mussels,
compression is applied on the shells of the mussels in the pouch 100 to
tightly pack the live
mussels in the main pocket 110 in such a manner that there is substantially
little room
available for the mussels to gape. This assists the abductor muscles of the
mussels to hold the
shells closed. The inner volume of the main pocket 110 may be determined based
on the
number N of the mussels (e.g., N> 1: N is an integer) and/or the total volume
of the mussels,
to substantially tightly pack the live mussels. The volume of the main pocket
110 may be, for
example, but not limited to, about 1.5 litres for about 680 grams of mussels.
The volume of
the main pocket 110 may be, for example, but not limited to, in the range of
about 0.5 litres to
about 5 litres for about 225 g to 2.25 kg of mussels. The bottom wall 220
defining the main
pocket 110 may include one or more raised bottom sections 180, as described
below.
[0021] The second pocket 120 is generally defined by an upper section 204 of
the front wall
200 and an upper section 214 of the back wall 210 together with the expansion
member 130.
The second pocket 120 defines a second inner volume. The bottom of the second
pocket 120
opens using the expansion member 130 to connect to the main pocket 110,
thereby increasing
the overall volume of the pouch 100. This allows the shells of the mussels to
open. For
example, the second pocket 120 may be designed to increase the overall volume
of the pouch
100 by 25% approximately using the expansion member 130. The second pocket 120
may be
sized to increase the overall volume of the pouch 100 by 20-25% approximately,
available for
cooking of the mussels. The second pocket 120 may be sized to increase the
overall volume of
the pouch 100 by 100 % approximately. The dimension (e.g., length, width,
and/or height)
and/or the shape of the second pocket 120 may be different from the dimension
and/or the
shape of the main pocket 110. The dimension and/or the shape of the second
pocket 120 may
be substantially the same as the dimension and/or the shape of the main pocket
110.
[0022] The second pocket 120 may be configured to pack and store food
additives. The food
additives packed in the second pocket 120 may include any solid, gel or liquid
material that
may affect food products, which may have, for example, tastes and/or flavours.
The food
additives contained in the second pocket 120 may include, for example, but not
limited to,
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seasonings, spices, sauces, dehydrated vegetables (e.g., chopped celery,
carrot, onion, or a
combination thereof), and/or a combination thereof. By opening the bottom of
the second
pocket 120, the food additives originally contained in the second pocket 120
are directed
toward the mussels in the pouch 100. This allows cooking of the mussels
together with the
food additives without manually adding such food additives.
[0023] The top section of the second pocket 120 is sealed by a top sealing
150. The top
sealing 150 may be formed by connecting a sealing section 152 of the front
wall 200 and a
sealing section 154 of the back wall 210. The top sealing 150 may be formed
by, for example
but not limited to, heat sealing and/or compression sealing. The top sealing
150 provides a
leak-resistant closure that prevents leakage of contents from the inside of
the pouch 100. The
top sealing 150 is resistant to steam pressure in the pouch 100 during
cooking, thereby
retaining steam inside the pouch 100 during cooking.
[0024] Each of the peripheral sections 140 and 142 of the front wall 200, the
back wall 210
and the bottom wall 220 are sealed. The size and/or dimension of the
peripheral section 140
may be substantially same as the size and/or dimension of the peripheral
section 142. The
peripheral sections 140 and 142 may be sealed by, for example, but not limited
to, heat
sealing and/or compression sealing. The peripheral sections 140 and 142 may be
sealed prior
to or when applying compression on the shells of the mussels. The sealed
peripheral sections
140 and 142 are resistant to product compression added onto the mussels in the
pouch 100 to
hold the shells of the mussels closed. The sealed peripheral sections 140 and
142 act as leak-
resistant closures that prevent leakage of contents from the inside of the
pouch 100. The
sealed peripheral sections 140 and 142 are resistant to steam pressure in the
pouch 100 during
cooking, thereby retaining steam inside the pouch 100.
[0025] The expansion member 130 is configured to provide a substantially tight
closure to
prevent leakage from the second pocket 120 to the main pocket 110 and/or from
the second
pocket 120 to the main pocket 110. The expansion member 130 is also configured
to
automatically open by steam pressure build-up in the pouch 100. This allows
integration of
the inside of the main pocket 110 and the inside of the second pocket 120.
This leads to a
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change of the overall volume of the pouch 100 (i.e., expanding a cooking area)
that is
available during cooking and allows the shells of the mussels in the pouch 100
to open.
[0026] The expansion member 130 may include a fastener, such as a plastic
zipper, a hook
fastener, a loop fastener, and/or light heat seal, which may separate the main
pocket 110 and
the second pocket 120 and also open using steam pressure in the pouch 100. The
expansion
member 130 may include a first expansion member 132 on the front wall 200 and
a second
expansion member 134 on the back wall 210, both of which are releasably sealed
together.
[0027] The pouch 100 includes a venting member 160 that is suitable for
respiration of live
mussels and a controlled release of steam (i.e., restriction of the venting of
steam). The
venting member 160 may be disposed in the main pocket 110. The venting member
160 may
be formed near the expansion member 130. The venting member 160 is configured
to allow
exchanges of gases such that the live mussels in the main pocket 110 respire
substantially
normally, thereby keeping the mussels alive during a first period. This first
period may
include initial processing and packing, shipping and retail distribution of
the shellfish, and
retention of them in the end users' refrigerators until they are cooked. The
pouch 100 with
the venting member 160 may be configured as a water proof package that may
prevent
leaking of water or liquid from the venting member 160 in the first period.
The venting
member 160 is also configured to provide a controlled release of steam within
the pouch 100
in the second period. The second period includes cooking of the mussels. Using
the
controlled release of steam mechanism, at least a part of steam is retained in
the pouch 100 to
promote a substantially even cook of the mussels while a part of steam is
released. This also
prevents the pouch 100 from bursting due to pressure in the pouch 100.
[0028] For example, the venting mechanism 160 includes a plurality of
perforations 162
arranged in the front wall 200 and a plurality of perforations 164 arranged in
the back wall
210. The perforations 162 and 164 may be arranged to ensure a substantially
even cooking of
the mussels and also to provide the breathability and the controlled release
of steam. The
perforations 162 may be substantially symmetrically arranged to the
perforations 164. The
perforations 162 and 164 may be aligned in the pouch 100 with a staggered
arrangement. The
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perforations 162, 164 may be disposed adjacent to the expansion member 130.
The
perforations 162 and 164 may be disposed beneath the expansion members 132 and
134,
respectively. The size and/or, dimension and number of the perforations 162,
164 may be
determined based on the breathability of the mussels and a release rate of
steam, which may
be determined based on the number of the mussels packed in the pouch 100, the
size of the
mussels, the total volume of the mussels, the volume of the main pocket 110,
the overall
volume of the pouch 100, or a combination thereof.
[0029] In one example, the perforations 162, 164 may be a series of holes,
each having an
inner diameter. The average inner diameter of the hole may be, for example,
but not limited
to, about 0.6 mm. The average inner diameter of the hole may be, for example,
but not
limited to, in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 0.7 mm. The number of the
holes may be,
for example, but not limited to, 7 in each side of the front wall 200 and the
back wall 210.
The number of the holes in one of the walls 200 and 210 may be, for example,
but not limited
to, in the range of about 6 to about 8. The diameter and number of the holes
may be
determined based on the breathability and the controlled release of steam. The
perforations
162, 164 may be micro-perforations.
[0030] In one example, the perforations 162, 164 may be designed to have at
least an oxygen
transmission rate of 10,000 cc/m2/24h so that the health and self life of the
mussels will
benefit from breathability. In a further example, the perforations 162, 164
may be designed to
maintain more than an oxygen transmission rate in the range of about 10,000 to
20,000
cc/m2/24h.
[0031] The pouch 100 includes an opening member 170 to open the upper pocket
120. Using
the opening member 170, cooked mussels can be transferred to the outside of
the pouch 100.
By way of example only, the open member 170 includes one or more tearing cuts.
The
tearing cuts of the opening member 170 are formed, for example, but not
limited to, in the
peripheral sections 140 and 142, adjacent to the sealing section 150. The
pouch 100 may
have one tearing cut as the opening member 170 in one of the peripheral
sections 140 and
142.
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[0032] The pouch 100 may include a further top sealing 190, by which the top
of the front
wall 200 and the top of the back wall 210 are sealed. The top sealing 190 may
be formed by,
for example, but not limited to, heat sealing and/or compression sealing.
[0033] As shown in Figures 3-5, the pouch 100 may be formed from a continuous
member
product 300. The continuous member product 300 may be a sheet, a film or a
web. By way
of the example only, the continuous member product 300 is referred to as "film
300". In the
present description, the words "film", "web", and "sheet" may be used
interchangeably. The
film 300 may comprise disposable or recyclable, heat-resistant, sealable,
compressible and/or
leak resistant material, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, or
metal foil film. The
film 300 may be a thermo-formed plastic bag. The film 300 may be a non-
meltable or
microwavable sheet available at cooking temperatures of the mussels. The film
300 may
include a flexible or semi-flexible film or a rigid or semi-rigid film that
can maintain its stand-
up shape. The film 300 may have a compressive strength enough to withstand
compression
on the shells of the mussels within the pouch 100, which is applied to keep
their shells closed.
The film 300 may include more than one layer. The film 300 may be laminated.
The film
300 may have a printable coating which may be used as a label. The label may
be configured
to provide product information, such as information on mussels, best before
date/expire date,
instructions as to how to keep the pouch 100 and/or how to cook the mussels
using the pouch
100.
[0034] The first and second expansion members 132 and 134 may be formed on one
side of
the film 300 of the pouch 100 or are incorporated into the film 300. Various
methods may be
employed to dispose or create or incorporate the first and second expansion
members 132 and
134 in the film 300 of the pouch 100.
[0035] At least a part of the bottom wall 220 is transformed to form the
raised bottom
section(s) 180 as shown in Figure 4. The raised bottom section 180 is formed
by folding the
bottom wall 220 along a substantially middle line 234 of the bottom wall 220
and sealing the
edge of the raised bottom section 180 with the peripheral section 140 (142).
This raised
bottom section 180 may be configured to retain moisture for cooking, such as
water or liquid,
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in an area 236 between the inner wall of the raised bottom section 180 and the
front wall 200
and/or in an area 238 between the inner wall of the raised bottom section 180
and the back
wall 220, as shown in Figure 5. This raised bottom section 180 allows the live
mussels
packed in the main pocket 110 to respire substantially normal while
substantially preventing
them from being immersed into water or liquid in the main pocket 110.
[0036] The film 300 may be formed such that each of the front wall 200, the
back wall 210
and the bottom wall 220 has a substantially rectangular shape as shown in
Figure 3.
However, the shape, size and/or dimension of each front wall 200, the back
wall 210 and the
bottom wall 220 is not limited to those shown in the drawings.
[0037] Referring to Figures 6A-6C, one example of a cooking method using the
pouch 100 of
Figures 1-5 is described. In Figures 6A-6C, the pouch 100 is shown as a
transparent pouch
for illustrative purposes only. The pouch 100 contains live shellfish 310 in
its main pocket
110 and also contains food additives 320 in its second pocket 120. By way of
the example
only the shellfish 310 are mussels. Water or liquid may be contained in the
main pocket 110
using the raised bottom sections 180 of the bottom wall 220. The pouch 100 is
placed in a
microwave 600 (see Figure 6A). The cooking time is set and a start button of
the microwave
600 is on. Steam pressure begins after a few minutes. A part of steam in the
pouch 100 is
released through the venting member 160 (see Figure 6B), which prevents the
pouch 100 from
exploding. The steam pressure forces the expansion member 130 to be released
(i.e., opening
of the expansion member 130 and/or opening of the bottom of the second pocket
120) (see
Figure 6C). The pouch 100 turns into a pressure cooker due to steam pressure
in the pouch
100, allowing the mussels to be cooked substantially evenly and appropriately.
The right
amount of steam is released from the pouch 100 via the venting member 160,
which prevents
the pouch 100 from bursting. The food additives 320 are directed to the
mussels 310. After
cooking, the pouch 100 is removed from the microwave 600 and the cooked
mussels are taken
out from the pouch 100 by tearing or cutting off the top section of the second
pocket 120
using the opening member 170. In Figures 6A-6C, the microwave 600 is used to
cook the
mussels packed in the pouch 100. However, the pouch 100 may be formed from a
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CA 02883975 2015-03-05
that is suitable for packing and transferring of live shellfish and cooking
them using an oven
or a grill.
[0038] Referring to Figures 7-8, one example of the pouch 100 is described.
The width of
the pouch 100 may be about 205 mm when it is flat out. The length of the pouch
100 may be
about 256 mm when it is flat out. The width of each of the peripheral sections
140 and 142
may be about 8 mm. The distance between the opening member 170 and the top of
the pouch
100 may be about 25 mm. The distance between the middle of the expansion
element 130
and the opening member 170 is about 39 mm. Each of the perforations of the
venting
member 160 may have a diameter of about 0.6 mm. The distance between one
perforation
and adjacent perforation may be about 2.6 cm. The length of the bottom wall
220 may be
about 102 mm, and the raised bottom section 180 may have the maximum height of
about 51
mm. The pouch 100 may be laminated with a painting coating as shown in Figure
8. In
Figure 8, the venting member (e.g., 160 of Figure 7) is not shown. The venting
member may
be disposed in the film of the pouch after printing information (e.g., product
information, best
before date etc) on the film of the pouch. Alternatively the venting member
may be disposed
in the film of the pouch prior to printing the information on the film of the
pouch.
[0039] Referring to Figure 9, one example of a method 900 for providing the
pouch 100 of
Figure 1 is described. By the way of example only, live shellfish packed in
the pouch 100 are
live mussels. The film 300 of Figure 3 is provided 902, including sealing of
the peripheral
sections 140 and 142. The raised bottom section 180 may be formed. The live
mussels are
placed 904 in the main pocket 110 area of the pouch 100, which may be pre-
processed (e.g.,
cleaning mussels, sorting mussels). Compression is applied 906 on the live
mussels in the
pouch 100. The main pocket 110 is closed 908 using the expansion member 130.
This allows
the second pocket 120 to be separated from the main pocket 110. Optionally,
food additives,
such as spices, seasonings, sauces, and dehydrated vegetables are stored in
the second pocket
120 area of the pouch 100. The top section of the pouch 100 is sealed 912. The
resultant
pouch 100 is packed into shipping boxes, shipped, and distributed to an
eventual end-user.
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[0040] The method 900 of Figure 9 is shown by way of example only. Some of the
steps of
the method 900 may be conducted substantially simultaneously or substantially
in parallel.
The method 900 of Figure 9 may include other operations, for example, but not
limited to,
preprocessing mussels (cleaning mussels, sorting mussels), printing
information on the
coating of the film, and/or preparing the film.
[0041] The words of degree, such as "about", "substantially", "approximately"
and the like as
used herein are used herein to allow for a certain degree of tolerance in
respect of the
associated value. The use of the word "about" or "substantially" or
"approximately" means
that a value of an element has a parameter that is expected to be close to a
stated value or
position.
[0042] The words "before", "after", "during", "while", and "when" as used
herein are not
exact terms that mean an action takes place instantly upon an initiating
action but that there
may be some small but reasonable delay, such as a delay, between an action
that is initiated
by the initial action. Additionally, the term "while" means that a certain
action occurs at least
within some portion of duration of the initial action. There may be minor
variances that
prevent the values or positions from being exactly as stated.
[0043] One or more currently preferred embodiments have been described by way
of
example. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a number of
variations and
modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as
defined in the
claims.
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