US2652336A - Margarine package - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 15, 1953 B. 'nl-IENSGEN Erm. 2,652,336

MARGARxNE PACKAGE Filed Sept. 26, 1949 INVENTORS Bernard T. Hensgzq D@ an EI. Ruzckzrf' Patented Sept. 15, 1953 MARGARINE PACKAGE Bernard T. Hensgcn, Chicago, and Dean E.

Rueckert, Mokena, Company, Chicago,

Ill., assignors to Swift & Ill., a. corporationofrlllinois ApplicationSeptember 26, 1949, Scria1,No..117,866

3 Claims.

This invention1 relates to a novel means for coloring. margarine,A andA more particularly to a means for coloring margarine without removing the margarine from its originall package.

The methods proposed in the prior art for the coloring Of'uncollored margarine by the purchaser may be divided roughly into two groups:

(.l's) The oldenmethorlwhich comprises enclosing ai. separate color packet: or capsule with the margarine print, the mixing taking place in a bowl or thelike, and

(.2)` The-more modern method of enclosing both a color` capsule and a margarine print within .al single ilexible package, the capsule being adapted4 to. be squeezed and the color mixed throughout the margarine by Vkneading the said; package.

Certain defects are inherent with both of these prior art methods. With regard to Method 1 above, it is both messy and time-consuming. In addition some of the product is lost by sticking tothe various utensils used in the mixing. With regardto Methodv 2,` there is great danger of the color pellet breaking in transit or in handling with a resulting premature coloring of the margarine. Due to the various Federal and State taxes on colored margarine, such premature coloring necessitates either the withdrawal of the damaged package from the grocers shelves or the sale thereof as colored margarine at a considerably higher price. Since such premature coloring usually resultsin an unattractive, spletchy appearance of the package, undesirable to the housewife-consumer, the damaged package must usually be considered a substantially total loss from the retailers point of View.

The package of this invention, in a sense, combnes the advantageous features of the older methods outlined above, and at the same time avoid the aforementioned defects inherent in such older methods.

It is an object of the present invention to provide' a means whereby the coloring of margarine and the like may be carried out in its original package.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a means for colorngmargarine and the like whereby pnematurecoloring of the margarine is impossible.

Additional objects if not specifically pointed outhereinwill be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailedY description of this invention.

Generally, the present invention comprises a means for. bringing margarine to the housewifeconsumer in. acondition such that coloring matter maybe introduced by such consumer into the saidmargarine within its original container and therein mixed with. the said margarine to provide; a uniform. coloring thereof.

.More particularly the present invention contemplates the packaging of margarine in a pli- `consumer who purchases the package.

2. able, flexible container,i which container is provided with a valvey or opening into the interior thereof. Such container, together with a color- -containing meansis purchased by the consumer, the coloring materialA isreleased into the package by a ,simplemanipulatiom the valve or opening in the said package closed, and the package kneaded or squeezed to uniformly mix the coloring material throughout the margarine.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one type of package embodyingV the present invention.

`Figure 2 illustrates one type of color-containing means especially adapted for use with the package of Figure 1.

Figure 1 illustrates a package having an inwardly extending valve l0. A relatively stiff insert S is preferably used to form this valve for reasons which will become apparent. In some instances the insert may comprise merely two strips of the same material as that used in the body 0f the package, each of the strips being secured at oneend tothe package wall and forming two exible flaps extending downwardly in face-to-face relationship with each other in the manner illustrated in Figure 1. In this method the margarine'print is introduced into the valved package through an open end thereof, the ends sealed and the package inserted into a carton. Thecolor-introducing means A, packed with and adaptedfor use with this type of package is illustrated in Figure 2 and comprises essentially a plastic body l2 containing a color-pellet 4. A hollow tube i3 which mayv be of plastic or other suitable material' provides a connection between the pellet-containing space within plastic body l2 and the outer atmosphere. When the housewife desires to color the margarine contained inv this typeofpackage she picks up the said color-introducing means,` which is adhesively secured to thefsurface of thepackage or otherwise fastened theretoA by a metal clip, tape, or the like, as illustratedy in Figure l, and inserts the hollow tube IB-thereof into the valve space formed by the recessed sides of the relatively stiff insert a, the said recessed sides of the insert acting as a guide` means-for the hollowv tube I3. The said valve Nr is preferably covered at its outer end with a disc of' thin,` weakened plastic material or the like H which may be easily pierced by the insertionv of the said hollow tube. Instead of aseparate disc, thevcontainer wall may be provided' with a weakened spot immediately above the opening formed by the insert, said spot being suitably marked to indicate its location to the Once the tube is inserted, the plastic pellet-containing body l2 isL squeezed to rupture the color pellet 4L The coloring material drains down through the said hollow tube |13"V and into the margarine withinbag 2. The color-introducing means A is then withdrawn and the bag squeezed in the direction ofl thearrowszin `Figure 1 to cause the said relatively stiif insert 9 to fold into the position indicated by the dotted lines in the said figure, effectively sealing the valved opening i9 permitting the package 2 to be thereafter kneaded and worked to uniformly distribute the color throughout the margarine.

The above described means are merely illustrative of many modiiications which maybe arrived at in applying the concept of this invention to the coloring of margarine by the consumer.

The material of which the packages embodying the present invention are made should possess the characteristics of exibility and pliability necessary to permit kneading and' squeezing l thereof. Likewise, the said material should be sturdy enough to prevent tearing during the mixing operation and also should be capable of being heat sealed. Translucence is an additional property which it is desirable for the material to possess. Some examples of materials which may be used in manufacturing the package of the present invention are laminated vinyl chloride films, polyethylene films, Buna-N or other rubber hydrohalide films, Pliolm, etc. The dyes used for coloring the margarine may be any of the type of oil-soluble organic dyes conventionally used in the prior art.

The advantages of the present invention are readily apparent. It is obvious that there is no danger of any premature coloring of the margarine by the color-introducing means since at no time until the housewife or consumer actually desires the coloring to take place is the said color-introducing means within the package of margarine. Should the color be released due to breakage in transit or in handling prior to sale, the color is prevented from touching the margarine by reason of the plastic, iiexible bag within which the margarine is placed. A package which has been thus mishandled may readily be replaced in condition for consumer acceptance by wiping the color Jfrom the exterior of the bag either with a dry cloth or if necessary with a cloth saturated with a suitable solvent for the particular dye used in the color-pellet, and furnishing a new color-introducing means for use therewith. Such color-introducing means may be supplied to the retailer for emergencies such as this and thus permit him to keep his merr chandise constantly moving to the consumer without the necessity of having each mishandled margarine package returned to the packer for replacement. if desired, the outer carton may be supplied with a transparent window to permit easy inspection of the interior of the said carton to determine if any breakage has occurred. The housewife likewise benefits by the present invention. In addition to the aesthetic value to her of not Ending the margarine splotched with prematurely-released coloring matter, she has the added advantage of being able to mix the coloring and the margarine together in the original margarine package should she so desire. If she should prefer the older, so-called mixing-bowl method she may remove the margarine from the package and utilize such method without the difficulty of trying to detach the color pellet from the interior of the package, which dimculty is present in the earlier discussed Method 2 of the prior art. Likewise, should she desire to use uncolored margarine, the package may be cut without fear of rupturing any enclosed color-containing capsule.

From the above it is apparent that the present invention embodies the advantages of the prior art methods previously discussed and at the same time obviates the disadvantages inherent therewith. This invention should find wide commercial usage and acceptance since it overcomes the outstanding objections to the known methods for coloring margarine in the manner aforesaid.

We claim:

l. A package for the coloring of margarine or the like comprising: a pliable, flexible container, a weakened spot on one wall of said container at a point remote from the mouth of said container, and an insert aflixed to the inside of the container wall directly beneath said weakened spot, said insert comprising a pair of L-shaped members placed back to back with the inwardlyextending portion of each having a recessed segment extending the full length thereof, the recessed segment of one forming with the recessed segment of the other a passage extending from said weakened spot on the container wall to the interior of saidcontainer, the said L-shaped members being secured one to the other along each side of said recessed segments.

2. In a pliable, flexible package for margarine or the like wherein coloring is to be introduced into the margarine and uniformly mixed therewith by kneading of the package, the improvement comprising: an insert aixed to an interior wall of the package at a point remote from the mouth thereof, said insert having a pair of inwardly extending members secured one to the other along their inwardly-extending edges and providing a recessed passage extending therebetween to permit communication between the interior and exterior of said package, and a disc of easily rupturable material secured to the exterior of said package wall immediately above and forming a closure for the passage formed by said insert.

3. A package, containing a plastic commodity into which a fiuid medium is to be inserted and subsequently mixed with said commodity by kneading of the package and its contents, comprising: a pliable, flexible container having an open mouth through which the plastic commodity may be charged to the container, said mouth then being scalable to completely enclose said plastic commodity within said container; a weakened, easily rupturable spot within one wall of said container at a point remote from said mouth through which a iiuid medium may be injected; and an insert, having a pair of inwardlyextending members deiining a passage through which said iiuid medium may be introduced into said plastic commodity, affixed to the interior wall of said container immediately beneath said weakened spot, said insert being adapted to fold toward the wall to which it is afiixed to seal said passage upon kneading of the container.

BERNARD T. HENSGEN. DEAN E. RUECKERT.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 623,198 Bates Apr. 18, 1899 1,089,279 Simer et al Mar. 3, 1914 1,474,248 English Nov. 13, 1923 1,476,560 Witmer Dec. 4, 1923 2,373,340 Rohdin Apr. 10, 1945 2,469,204 Peters May 3, 1949 2,469,521 Rohdin May 10, 1949 2,488,038 Sharkey Nov. 15, 1949

Claims (1)

1. A PACKAGE FOR THE COLORING OF MARGARINE OR THE LIKE COMPRISING: A PLIABLE, FLEXIBLE CONTAINER, A WEAKENED SPOT ON ONE WALL OF SAID CONTAINER AT A POINT REMOTE FROM THE MOUTH OF SAID CONTAINER, AND AN INSERT AFFIXED TO THE INSIDE OF THE CONTAINER WALL DIRECTLY BENEATH SAID WEAKENED SPOT, SAID INSERT COMPRISING A PAIR OF L-SHAPED MEMBERS PLACED BACK TO BACK WITH THE INWARDLYEXTENDING PORTION OF EACH HAVING A RECESSED SEGMENT EXTENDING THE FULL LENGTH THEREOF, THE RECESSED SEGMENT OF ONE FORMING WITH THE RECESSED SEGMENT OF THE OTHER A PASSAGE EXTENDING FROM SAID WEAKENED SPOT ON THE CONTAINER WALL TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID CONTAINER, THE SAID L-SHAPED MEMBERS BEING SECURED ONE TO THE OTHER ALONG EACH SIDE OF SAID RECESSED SEGMENTS.

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