Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02941179 2016-09-06
CLOSABLE COOKING POUCH
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure is directed at a closable cooking
pouch.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Health conscious cooking is becoming increasingly popular. One way
in which
consumers practice health conscious cooking is to reduce the amount of fat
used during cooking.
Using non-stick cooking surfaces and cooking with steam are two ways in which
consumers can
reduce the amount of butter and oil used during cooking.
SUMMARY
[0003] According to a first aspect, there is provided a closable cooking
pouch. The pouch
comprises a heat resistant pouch body comprising an opening and a slot; and a
flap attached to the
pouch body and tuckable into the opening to close the pouch. The flap
comprises a hook portion
that is insertable through the slot and that is shaped to retain at least a
portion of the flap in the slot
when the flap is through the slot and the hook portion is outside the pouch.
[0004] The pouch body and flap may be manufactured using identical
material.
[0005] The pouch body and flap may comprise polytetrafluoroethylene
and exclude
perfluorooctanoic acid.
[0006] The hook portion may be elastically deformable.
[0007] The hook portion may be planar.
[0008] The hook portion may comprise a trapezoid, and the trapezoid may
have rounded
vertices. The trapezoid may be an isosceles trapezoid.
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[0009] A longer base of the trapezoid may be nearer to the opening
when the pouch is open
than a shorter base of the trapezoid. The longer base of the trapezoid may be
longer than the slot.
The shorter base of the trapezoid may be shorter than the slot.
[0010] A portion of the opening uncovered by the flap when the pouch
is closed may
comprise a steam vent that permits steam to escape the interior of the pouch.
100111 According to another aspect, there is provided a closable
cooking pouch that
comprises a heat resistant pouch body manufactured using a material comprising
polytetrafluoroethylene, with the heat resistant pouch body comprising a slot
located in a face of
the pouch body and an opening along one side of the pouch body; and a flap
attached to the pouch
body and tuckable into the opening to close the pouch. The flap may comprise
an elastically
deformable hook portion that is insertable through the slot from the interior
of the pouch and that
comprises an isosceles trapezoid having a longer base located nearer to where
the flap is attached
to the pouch body than a shorter base of the trapezoid. The longer base of the
trapezoid may be
longer than the slot and the shorter base of the trapezoid is shorter than the
slot.
[0012] According to another aspect, there is provided a method for using
the closable
cooking pouch of any of the foregoing aspects and suitable combinations
thereof. The method
comprises tucking the flap into the pouch through the opening; and inserting
the hook portion
through the slot from the interior of the pouch.
[0013] Inserting the hook portion through the slot may comprise
grasping the hook portion
through the slot and then pulling the hook portion through the slot.
[0014] The method may further comprise putting food into the pouch
prior to tucking the
flap into the pouch; after inserting the hook portion through the slot,
cooking the food while the
food is inside the pouch; and flipping the pouch while the food is cooking,
wherein the pouch
remains closed during flipping.
[0015] According to another aspect, there is provided a method for
manufacturing the
closable cooking pouch of any of the foregoing aspects and suitable
combinations thereof. The
method comprises cutting, from a single sheet of material, a strip of material
that delineates a front
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.,
. .
side of the pouch body, a rear side of the pouch body, the flap, and the slot;
folding the strip such
that the front and rear sides oppose each other; and sealing a portion of the
peripheries of the front
and rear sides to each other. An unsealed portion of the peripheries is
coverable by the flap and
comprises the opening of the pouch.
[0016] Sealing the portion of the peripheries may comprise heat fusing the
portion of the
peripheries together.
[0017] The pouch body may be polygonal, and the opening may extend
along one edge of
the pouch body. For example, the pouch body may be rectangular and the opening
may comprise
one of the shorter edges of the pouch body.
[0018] This summary does not necessarily describe the entire scope of all
aspects. Other
aspects, features and advantages will be apparent to those of ordinary skill
in the art upon review
of the following description of specific embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one or more
example
embodiments:
[0020] FIGS. 1A and 1B are front perspective views of a closable
cooking pouch when
opened and when closed, respectively, according to a first embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a sheet of cut, non-stick
material used to
manufacture the first embodiment of the cooking pouch.
[0022] FIGS. 3A and 3B are front and rear elevation views, respectively, of
the first
embodiment of the cooking pouch when opened.
[0023] FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the first embodiment of
the cooking pouch when
closed.
[0024] FIGS. 5A and 5B are sectional views of the first embodiment
of the cooking pouch
taken along lines 5A-5A of FIG. 3A and 5B-5B of FIG. 4, respectively.
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[0025] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the first embodiment of the
cooking pouch when closed.
[0026] FIG. 7 is a method for making a closable cooking pouch,
according to another
embodiment.
[0027] FIG. 8 is a method for using a closable cooking pouch,
according to another
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] The embodiments described herein are directed at a closable
cooking pouch that is
usable during cooking to at least partially cook the food contained within the
pouch using steam.
In certain embodiments, the pouch is manufactured using a non-stick material,
which facilitates
usage on cooking surfaces such as stainless steel and cast iron. The pouch
comprises a flap that
can be folded or bent to close the pouch and a hook portion that can be
inserted through a slot in
the pouch body to secure the flap in place when the pouch is closed. To close
the pouch, the flap
is tucked into the pouch's interior and the hook portion is inserted through
the slot. The hook
portion is shaped to retain at least a portion of the flap in the slot when
the flap is through the slot
and the hook portion is outside the pouch. The pouch may accordingly be used
to flip food during
cooking without inadvertently opening, which releases heat and thereby
lengthens cooking times,
and which may cause the food to spill. As used in this disclosure, "cooking"
refers to multiple
manners of cooking, such as grilling using a barbecue or cooking using
appliances such as ovens,
microwaves, stovetops, and sandwich grills.
[0029] A closable cooking pouch 100 according to a first embodiment is
depicted in the
figures. More specifically, FIGS. 1A and 1B are front perspective views of the
pouch 100 when
opened and when closed, respectively; FIGS. 3A and 3B are front and rear
elevation views,
respectively, of the pouch 100 when opened; FIG. 4 is a front elevation view
of the pouch 100
when closed; FIGS. 5A and 5B are sectional views of the pouch 100 taken along
lines 5A-5A of
FIG. 3A and 5B-5B of FIG. 4, respectively; and FIG. 6 is a top plan view of
the pouch 100 when
closed.
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=
[0030] The pouch 100 comprises a pouch body 102 that comprises a
front side and a rear
side. The front and rear sides are sealed to each other along the periphery of
the left, bottom, and
right edges of the pouch 100 using heat fusion, as described in more detail
with respect to FIG. 2,
below. The pouch 100 comprises an opening 114 permitting access to the pouch's
100 interior
along the front side's top edge and a slot 110 on its front side. A flap 106
extends upwardly from
the pouch's 100 rear side and comprises a hook portion 108 at its end. In the
first embodiment of
the pouch 100, the hook portion 108 comprises a trapezoid that has rounded
vertices and that has
a longer base 122 and a shorter base 124, with the longer base 122 being
nearer to the opening 114
than the shorter base 124. The portion of the flap 106 immediately below the
hook portion 108 is
shorter than the longer base 122. In the depicted embodiment, the longer base
122 is longer than
the slot 110, the shorter base 124 is shorter than the slot 110, and the
trapezoid is an isosceles
trapezoid. The hook portion 108 is thereby shaped to retain at least a portion
of the flap 106 in the
slot 110 when the flap 106 is through the slot 110 and the hook portion 108 is
outside the pouch
100.
[0031] The pouch 100 as shown for the first embodiment when opened is shown
as slightly
inflated. This may occur, for example, when air is blown into the pouch 100
through the opening
114. As discussed in further detail below in respect of FIG. 2, the pouch 100
as manufactured
permits the front and rear sides to rest flush against each other.
[0032] The first embodiment of the pouch 100 is manufactured using a
non-stick and heat
resistant material. In respect of the first embodiment, by "heat resistant" it
is meant that the pouch
100 can be heated to approximately 550 F (288 C) without combusting,
melting, or evaporating.
However, in different embodiments (not depicted) the pouch 100 may be
manufactured from a
heat resistant material that combusts, melts, or evaporates at a different
temperature. One example
type of material that may be used to manufacture the pouch 100 is the material
used to manufacture
the non-stick and reusable barbecue grilling sheets sold by COOKINA Inc. of
Brossard, Quebec,
Canada. Another example type of material is the ParchminiumTM reusable
presentation and
cooking sheet, also sold by COOKINA Inc.
[0033] As mentioned above, the pouch 100 is shown in FIGS. 1A, 3A,
3B, and 5A as being
open. To close the pouch 100 so that it appears as depicted in FIGS. 4, 5B,
and 6, a consumer takes
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the flap 106, tucks it into the pouch's 100 interior via the opening 114, and
then inserts the hook
portion 108 out through the slot 110. FIG. 5A in particular shows a sectional
view of the pouch
100 when it is opened, and FIG. 58 shows the analogous sectional view of the
pouch 100 when it
is closed. FIG. 6 shows a top plan view of the pouch 100 when it is closed,
highlighting the fact
that the hook portion 108 is protruding out through the slot 110 and on to the
pouch's 100 front
side.
100341 The hook portion 108 is shaped to catch on to the front side
of the pouch 100 as the
flap 106 is being pulled out of the pouch 100, thereby resisting movement and
helping to keep the
flap 106 in place and the pouch 100 closed. In the first embodiment, the hook
portion 108
comprises the trapezoid having the shorter base 124 and the longer base 122,
with the shorter base
124 being shorter than the length of the slot 110 and the longer base 122
being longer than the
length of the slot 110. When closing the pouch 100, the fact that the shorter
base 124 is shorter
than the slot 110 helps the consumer initially insert the hook portion 108
through the slot 110.
Once the hook portion 108 has been entirely inserted through the slot 110, the
fact that the longer
base 122 is longer than the slot 110 means that the trapezoid catches on the
pouch's 100 front side
as the hook portion 108 is removed, thereby resisting that removal. The
material used to
manufacture the first embodiment of the pouch 100 is elastically deformable
such that with
sufficient force, one or both of the trapezoid and the slot 110 deforms as a
result of the trapezoid
being pressed against the pouch's 100 front side, manual manipulation from the
consumer, or both.
This deformation permits the hook portion 108 to be pulled back into the
pouch's 100 interior and
the pouch 100 to be opened. Once the force that causes the deformation is
removed, one or both
of the hook portion 108 and the slot 110 returns substantially to its original
shape, thereby
permitting the pouch 100 to be subsequently closed again.
100351 While in the first embodiment the hook portion 108 is a
trapezoid, in different
embodiments (not depicted) different shapes of the hook portion 108 are
possible. For example,
the hook portion 108 may be triangular, square, or arcuate. Furthermore, while
the hook portion
108 is planar in the first embodiment, in different embodiments the hook
portion 108 may be non-
planar. For example, the hook portion 108 may be spherical or hemispherical
and have a substantial
thickness that helps to retain the flap 106 in place.
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[0036] Inserting the hook portion 108 through the slot 110 from the
pouch's 100 interior
is useful when cooking for at least two reasons. One, as the hook portion 108
rests on the exterior
of the pouch 100, it remains cleaner than it would if it were resting within
the pouch 100 and
directly contacting the food. This can be useful given that the consumer may
manually grab the
hook portion 108 to pull it through the slot 110 when opening and closing the
pouch 100. Two,
steam generated during cooking does not envelop the hook portion 108 as it
would if the hook
portion 108 were inside the pouch 100, again facilitating the consumer's
manually grabbing the
hook portion 108. Through experiment, it has been found that when manufactured
using non-stick
barbecue grilling sheets or the ParchminiumTM presentation and cooking sheets,
both sold by
COOKINA Inc., the hook portion 108 provides a sufficient retaining force to
permit the consumer
during cooking to flip the pouch 100 when closed and containing food without
the pouch 100
inadvertently opening, while still permitting the consumer to open and close
the pouch 100 in a
straightforward manner.
[0037] Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a strip 202 of
material from which the
pouch 100 is manufactured. The strip 202 of FIG. 2 consists of a single type
of material and is cut
from a larger sheet (not shown) of that material. As noted above, the strip
202 may comprise a
non-stick barbecue grilling sheet or ParchminiumTM presentation and cooking
sheet sold by
COOKINA Inc.; alternatively, the strip 202 may comprise a different type of
non-stick sheet sold
by COOKINA Inc. More generally, the strip 202 may comprise any suitable heat
resistant sheet
that comprises a fluoropolymer that coats and encapsulates a fabric mesh,
resulting in a resilient
and flexible sheet. In certain embodiments, the fluoropolymer may comprise
polytetrafluoroethylene ("PTFE") and, in a subset of those embodiments, also
exclude
perfluorooctanoic acid ("PFOA").
[0038] FIG. 7 depicts a method 700 for making the pouch 100,
according to another
embodiment. A manufacturer begins performing the method 700 at block 702 and
proceeds to
block 704 where the manufacturer cuts, from a single sheet of material, the
strip 202. The strip 202
is cut so that the front and rear sides of the pouch body 102, the slot 110,
and the flap 106 (including
the hook portion 108) are delineated, as shown in FIG. 2. The manufacturer
proceeds to block 706,
where he or she folds the strip 202 along a line 112 so that the front and
rear sides oppose each
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other. At block 708, the manufacturer seals a portion of the peripheries of
the front and rear sides
to each other, with an unsealed portion of the peripheries coverable by the
flap 106 and comprising
the opening 114. In the first embodiment of the pouch 100, the manufacturer
heat fuses the left,
bottom, and right edges of the pouch body 102 to form a sealed periphery 120.
Following sealing,
the method 700 ends at block 712.
[0039] In the first embodiment of the pouch 100, the bottom left and
right corners 104 of
the sealed periphery 120 are triangular in shape to facilitate cleaning of the
pouch's 100 interior
and to increase the area of the sealed periphery 120, thereby also increasing
the pouch's 100
integrity. In different embodiments (not depicted), the corners 104 may be
shaped differently than
as depicted. For example, the corners 104 may be perpendicular (i.e., a
portion of the sealed
periphery 120 extending along the pouch's 100 left and right edges may
intersect perpendicularly
with a portion of the sealed periphery 120 extending along the pouch's 100
bottom edge) or may
be filled, but not triangular in shape (e.g., the corners 104 may be rounded).
In different
embodiments (not depicted), the periphery 120 may be sealed using a different
technique, such as
ultrasonic welding or a heat resistant adhesive.
[0040] While in the first embodiment of the pouch 100 the pouch body
102 is rectangular
with the opening 114 comprising one of the body's 102 shorter edges, in
different embodiments
(not depicted) the pouch body 102 may be differently shaped. For example, in
certain embodiments
the pouch body 102 may be polygonal, and the opening 114 may be along one edge
of the
polygonal pouch body 102 with the remaining edges comprising the sealed
periphery 120.
[0041] Referring now to FIG. 8, there is shown a method 800 for using
the pouch 100,
according to another embodiment. The consumer begins performing the method 800
at block 802
and proceeds to block 804 where the consumer puts food in the pouch via the
opening 114 while
the pouch 100 is opened. The consumer proceeds to block 806 where he or she
tucks the flap 106
into the pouch 100 through the opening 114, following which he or she inserts
the hook portion
108 through the slot 110 from the pouch's 100 interior at block 808. As
mentioned above, this
secures the pouch 100 closed. The consumer may insert the hook portion 108
through the slot 110
by grasping the hook portion 108 through the slot 110 from the outside of the
pouch 100 and then
pulling the hook portion 108 through the slot. The consumer then proceeds to
block 810 where he
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or she cooks the food on, for example, a barbecue and flips the pouch 100
while the food is
cooking. The consumer may additionally or alternatively cook the food using a
microwave or oven
and similarly flip the pouch 100 during cooking (and in the case of the
microwave, while the
microwave is paused). The pouch 100 remains closed due to the combination of
the slot 110, flap
106, and hook portion 108. The method 800 ends at block 812.
[0042] When closed, the portion of the opening 114 that is uncovered
by the flap 106 acts
as a steam vent that permits steam to escape from the pouch 100, thereby
preventing expansion
and potential bursting of the pouch 100. Any steam escapes at a slow enough
rate that it helps to
cook the food in the pouch 100 prior to escaping.
[0043] Directional terms such as "top", "bottom", "upwards", "downwards",
"vertically",
and "laterally" are used in this disclosure for the purpose of providing
relative reference only, and
are not intended to suggest any limitations on how any article is to be
positioned during use, or to
be mounted in an assembly or relative to an environment. The term "couple" and
variants of it
such as "coupled", "couples", and "coupling" as used in this disclosure are
intended to include
indirect and direct connections unless otherwise indicated. For example, if a
first article is coupled
to a second article, that coupling may be through a direct connection or
through an indirect
connection via another article. Additionally, the singular forms "a", "an",
and "the" as used in this
disclosure are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates
otherwise.
[0044] The word "approximately" as used in this description in conjunction
with a number
means within 10% of that number.
[0045] FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts of example methods. Some of the
blocks illustrated
in the flowcharts may be performed in an order other than that which is
described. Also, it should
be appreciated that not all of the blocks described in the flowcharts are
required to be performed,
that additional blocks may be added, and that some of the illustrated blocks
may be substituted
with other blocks.
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[0046] It is contemplated that any part of any aspect or embodiment
discussed in this
specification can be implemented or combined with any part of any other aspect
or embodiment
discussed in this specification.
[0047] While particular embodiments have been described in the
foregoing, it is to be
understood that other embodiments are possible and are intended to be included
herein. It will be
clear to any person skilled in the art that modifications of and adjustments
to the foregoing
embodiments, not shown, are possible.
