SAC POUR LA CUISSON DE GRAINS DE MAIS AU MICRO-ONDES

BAG FOR COOKING CORN GRAINS IN A MICROWAVE

Abrégé français

Le sac, à partir de la structuration classique d'un sac de ce type, présente la particularité que ses sommets d'extrémité et libres (7) présentent une configuration chanfreinée ou arrondie, ce qui empêche que le sac dans le déploiement que produit l'augmentation de volume dû à la cuisson de grains de maïs contenus en son sein, puisse rester bloqué ou retenu contre les parois latérales du micro ondes, empêchant sa rotation, ce qui assure une répartition homogène de la chaleur sur les grains de maïs, évitant ainsi qu'un grand nombre de grains ne cuisent pas correctement, comme cela arrive avec les sacs de pop-corn classiques.

Abrégé anglais

The invention relates to a bag, based on the conventional structure of a bag of this type, characterised in that the free end vertices (7) thereof have a bevelled or rounded configuration, which, during the unfolding caused by the increase in volume due to the cooking of the corn grains inside said bag, prevents the bag from being able to remain blocked or held back against the lateral walls of the microwave, preventing the rotation thereof, which ensures a homogeneous distribution of heat over the corn grains, thereby preventing a large number of grains from not cooking properly, as occurs with the conventional popcorn bags.

Revendications

5
CLAIMS
1. A bag for cooking corn grains in a microwave in order to obtain the
classic
"popcorn", which on the basis of the materials commonly used in these types of
bags
are obtained from a tubular body within which are placed the corresponding
corn grains
with treatment that is deemed suitable, the tubular body which is sealed by
its ends,
adopting a flattened arrangement and said ends or sides (3) remaining folded
over the
central area (2) of the bag (1) in packaged arrangement, characterised in that
the free
vertices (7) of the side sectors (3) present a strongly chamfered
configuration.
2. The bag for cooking corn grains in a microwave according to claim 1,
characterised in that the free vertices (7) can be of rounded or polygonal
configuration.
3. The bag for cooking corn grains in a microwave according to claim 1,
characterised in that the bag is susceptible of including another type of food
whose
cooking involves an increase in the volume thereof.

Description

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BAG FOR COOKING CORN GRAINS IN A MICROWAVE
DESCRIPTION
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bag for cooking corn grains in microwave in
order to obtain the classic "popcorn".
The object of the invention is to provide a bag that allows ensuring an
optimal
and uniform cooking of corn grains housed within the same, regardless of how
it is
arranged within the microwave, thereby avoiding, as is usual, that some of
them are not
cooked properly, and therefore, do not finally transform into the product to
be obtained.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the field of practical application of the invention, the bags of corn
grains
intended for obtaining popcorn in microwaves have a flattened tubular
structure and
consequently rectangular, closed at its ends, ends which are folded over the
central
area of the bag in which the properly treated corn grains are contained.
The bag must be arranged horizontally centred on the rotating plate of the
microwave with the ends facing upwards, so that during cooking said ends begin
to
unfold due to the increase of volume that the corn grains undergo on
transforming into
popcorn, it being necessary that the heat generated by the microwaves is
distributed
evenly over the corn grains for them to transform into popcorn.
The reality is that a significant amount of grains does not transform into
popcorn
during the cooking process and this is due to the nature of the package
itself, in which,
when its ends begin to unfold define elements that tend to block the rotation
of the
package, especially in small-sized microwaves, in such a way that when these
ends
impact on the walls of the microwave the package does not rotate enough and
heat is
not distributed evenly. This results in that either a large part of the corn
grains is not
finally cooked properly, and therefore, are not transformed into popcorn, or,
to achieve
the transformation of all the grains into popcorn the employment of additional
cooking
time is necessary, which means that part of the popcorn is subjected to a
process of
overcooking, and therefore ends up burned, which obviously, very negatively
affects the
taste thereof.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The bag proposed resolves in a fully satisfactory manner the aforementioned
problem on the basis of a simple but highly effective solution.
To this end, and more specifically, the bag of the invention is characterised
in
that the rectangular development thereof, instead of having its vertices at a
right angle,
presents sharply rounded vertices, so that on its arrangement on the
corresponding
rotating plate of the microwave, it does not represent an obstacle to the
rotation of the
plate, and therefore, the package itself, as it does not have sharp ends that
could get
stuck on the walls of the microwave. Therefore, it is not even necessary to
arrange said
package in a particular position since its own structure facilitates that the
bag, as it
swells due to the increase in volume of the corn grains, adapts to the
internal volume of
the microwave, remaining perfectly centred and enabling its rotation, thus
achieving a
uniform distribution of heat, and therefore, obtaining a greater number of
perfectly
cooked popcorn from a same volume of properly treated corn grains.
With regard to the process of manufacture of the bag, it does not require
major
changes in the production chain, since as in the case of conventional bags, it
is based
on a tubular body of considerable length, which is closed by one of its ends,
it is filled
with the volume of pretreated corn grains, and once ready, it is closed by
heat sealing
by its other end. Therefore, the only thing that changes is the configuration
of the heat
sealing and the manner of die-cutting the bags, which even though in
conventional bags
no waste generated as the cutting is perpendicular to the tubular element, in
this case
blades will be used which define a curved trajectory at its ends, and which
cross-
sectionally cut the tubular body, such that a small removable sector will be
generated,
which could be easily recycled.
In this way, a bag with a simple structure, but which allows a much greater
yield
than conventional popcorn bags is obtained.
Although the bag has been described and is intended preferably and
fundamentally for the obtaining of popcorn, its use to contain any other type
of product
that needs to be packaged for later cooking in microwaves, such as pellets or
other
types of food that can be packed in a bag with these characteristics, is not
discarded.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
To complete the description that is going to be made and to assist a better
understanding of the invention's characteristics, according to a preferred
practical
exemplary embodiment thereof, accompanying as an integral part of said
description, is

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a set sheet of drawings, where in an illustrative and non limiting way, the
following is
represented:
Figure 1.- shows an illustration corresponding to a plan view of a bag for
cooking
corn grains in a microwave made in accordance with the object of the present
invention.
Figure 2.-shows an illustration corresponding to a profile view of the bag of
the
invention arranged for use, i.e. with its ends folded over the central sector
of the bag,
before being introduced into the corresponding microwave.
Figure 3.-shows a similar view to that of Figure 2, but in an intermediate
phase of
unfolding thereof, when the cooking of the product contained within the bag
takes place
in a microwave.
Figure 4.-shows a plan view of a completely unfolded bag within a microwave,
this being represented schematically, including arrows which indicate the
rotation of the
plate and, therefore, of the bag, without it becoming an obstacle with the
microwave
walls preventing its own rotation.
Figure 5.-shows, finally, a plan view of various configurations of the
vertices of
the bags.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
As can be seen in the mentioned figures, the bag of the invention is of the
type of
those intended to contain a foodstuff, preferably properly treated corn,
intended for
cooking in microwaves, so that said bag (1) has a central sector (2) in which
is properly
positioned the product to be cooked, and two side sectors (3) delimited
relative to the
central sector (2) through corresponding folding lines (4) in order to
facilitate the
increase in volume of the bag, necessary because of the volume increase that
the corn
grains undergo during cooking.
As is conventional, in the marketing of the package, the bag is arranged with
its
side sectors (3) folded and superimposed on the central sector (2), as shown
in Figure
2, wherein this assembly can be properly packaged for its protection, package
which
has not been shown in the figures as it is optional and conventional.
The bag is intended to be arranged on the rotating plate (5) of the
corresponding
microwave (6), with the particularity that the configuration of said bag makes
does not
make it necessary that it be arranged in a concrete and specific way on the
plate, but
rather it can be arranged in any way, since as its volume begins to increase
it will centre
itself allowing for the constant rotation thereof, and therefore, the uniform
cooking of all
the corn grains contained therein.

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To this end, the essential feature of the bag is that the free vertices (7) of
the side
sectors (3) have a chamfered or rounded configuration that prevents the bag
getting
stuck on impacting said side sectors with the walls of the microwave, avoiding
any kind
of retention of the bag in its rotation on the plate (5).
Figure 4 clearly shows the bag (1) with the central sector with its
rectangular
shape and its rounded vertices (7), located on the corresponding rotating
plate (5) of the
microwave (6), the arrows (8) indicating the direction of rotation of said
plate (5) and,
therefore, of the bag (1) that has been previously arranged on said plate with
the side
sectors (3) properly folded over the central area (2).
And finally, in Figure 5 various configurations of the chamfered vertices are
shown.

Dessin représentatif