US20090155429A1

US20090155429A1 - Food Package

Info

Publication number: US20090155429A1
Application number: US11/958,518
Authority: US
Inventors: Brenton Lago
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-12-18
Filing date: 2007-12-18
Publication date: 2009-06-18

Abstract

Disclosed is a food package used for consumption by a patient who has undergone a weight-loss surgery. The food package includes a food product in a frozen form and a container for storing the food product. The food package further includes an air tight seal configured on the container for retaining the food product stored inside the container. The food product may weigh less than or equal to about four ounces. The food product disclosed herein may be consumed as a healthy, balanced meal.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to balanced meal systems, and, more specifically, to a balanced meal system for utilization by patients who have undergone weight loss surgeries.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Patients who have undergone weight-loss surgeries often suffer from post-operational health problems. Examples of such weight loss surgeries are gastric bypass surgery, vertical banded gastroplasty, and lap-band surgery. Typical post-operational health problems resulting from such weight-loss surgeries include hypertension, diabetes, fatty liver, dumping syndrome, ulcers, anemia, osteoporosis, nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, diarrhea, and the like.
To avoid the occurrence of the post-operational health problems, patients having undergone weight-loss surgeries are recommended to consume nutritional meals. More specifically, the patients are advised to consume food rich in vitamins, proteins, minerals, micronutrients, and the like. Moreover, these patients are advised to consume a measured amount of food which helps in maintaining the patient's weight and avoids occurrence of any post-operational health problems. However, preparing a balanced meal containing a measured amount of food is a time consuming process.
Accordingly, there is a need for a balanced meal system to be used by a patient after a weight-loss surgery to prevent or treat any post-operational health problems. Moreover, there is a need for balanced meal system that may be prepared in an easy, fast, and reliable manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the prior art, the general purpose of the present invention is to provide a balanced meal system to be utilized by patients and configured to include all the advantages of the prior art, and to overcome the drawbacks inherent therein.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a balanced meal system to prevent or treat any post-operational health problems when utilized by a patient after weight-loss surgery.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a balanced meal system to be utilized by a patient for maintaining the patient's weight after a weight-loss surgery.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a balanced meal system that includes a pre-weighed quantity of a food product, thereby avoiding a need for weighing the food product before preparing or consuming the food product.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a balanced meal system that may be prepared easily and quickly.
In light of the above objects, in one aspect, the present invention provides a balanced meal system in the form of a food package that includes a food product in a frozen form and a container for storing the food product. The food product may weigh less than or equal to about four ounces. The food package further includes an airtight seal configured on the container for retaining the food product stored in the container.
In another aspect of the present invention, the balanced meal system in the form of a food package includes a casing for enclosing the container. The casing includes a label for identifying the food product stored in the container.
These together with other aspects of the present invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the present invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part of this present invention. For a better understanding of the present invention, its operating advantages, and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawing and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food package, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a food package, according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a casing of a food package, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the description of several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The exemplary embodiments described herein detail for illustrative purposes and are subject to many variations in structure and design. It should be emphasized, however, that the present invention is not limited to a particular food package, as shown and described. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
The present invention provides a balanced meal system in the form of a food package for utilization by patients who have undergone weight-loss surgeries, such as a gastric bypass surgery, a vertical banded gastroplasty, a lap-band surgery, or any other similar surgery. The food package includes a food product in a frozen form and a container for storing and preserving the food product. The food package further includes an airtight seal configured on the container for retaining the food product stored inside the container. Considering the application of the food package as described herein, the food product may weigh less than or equal to about four ounces for consumption to provide a healthy balanced meal. Further, a heated form of the food product may be served in form of variety of delicacies.
A patient who has undergone weight-loss surgery may be recommended to consume the food product three times a day. The consumption of the food product by the patient helps in reducing the occurrence of any post-operational health problems, such as hypertension, diabetes, fatty liver, dumping syndrome, ulcers, anemia, osteoporosis, nausea, weakness, sweating, faintness, diarrhea, originating after the weight loss surgery.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food package 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The food package 100 includes a container 102 and a food product 104 stored in a frozen form in the container 102. The food product 104 may have a weight of less than or equal to about four ounces.
The container 102 may have any size, shape, and configuration sufficient to store the desired quantity of food product. For the purpose of this description, the container 102 is shown cylindrical in shape. However, it should be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the container 102 may be of any other shape such as a conical shape, a rectangular shape, and an oval shape. Also, the container 102 may take on any design that is aesthetically pleasing to the eyes of a patient.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the container 102 may be made of a microwavable material to allow heating of the food product 104 stored in the container 102. The microwavable material may be a plastic material. However, a skilled artisan will appreciate that the container 102 may be made of any other microwavable material, without departing from the teachings of the present invention. Such materials include, but are not limited to, glass, ceramics, plastic, cellophane, wax paper, vinyl, and foams, and any other material that is resilient upon being subjected to microwave radiation.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the container 102 includes a body 106 having a bottom closed end 108 and a top open end (not shown). The container 102 further includes a lid 110 covering the top open end of the body 106. The lid 110 may be lifted from the body 106 for facilitating withdrawal of the food product 104 from the body 106 of the container 102. Moreover, the lid 110 may be tightly disposed on the top open end of the body 106 of the container 102 by means of an air tight seal 112, hereinafter referred to as the seal 112. The seal 112 is capable of forming an airtight interface with an edge (not shown) of the lid 110, thereby retaining the food product 104 within the container 102. The seal 112 may be made of a heat resistant material. In one embodiment of the present invention, the seal 112 may be made of a plastic material.
For the purpose of this description, the container 102 is shown to include the lid 110 capable of closing the top open end of the body 106 of the container 102. However, in an alternate embodiment, a sheet of a suitable material, for example, a plastic sheet may be utilized for sealing the top open end of the container 102, thereby avoiding a need of a lid, such as, the lid 110 to retain the food product 104 inside the container 102.
The food product 104 stored in the container 102 may be rich in nutrients like proteins, vitamins and mineral content. The food product 104 may further be a low calorie nutritional food product, thereby providing a balanced nutrient diet to a patient consuming the food product 104. Such a balanced nutrient diet may be consumed by patients after undergoing a weight loss surgery. More specifically, after the weight loss surgery, the patient may consume a weighted amount of the food product 104 in order to maintain his/her body weight and avoid any post-operational health problem.
In one embodiment of the invention, the food product 104 weighs four ounces. Accordingly, a patient may consume entire food product 104 contained in the container 102 without measuring the quantity of the food product 104. This avoids the need for measuring the food product 104 before consuming, thereby saving patient's time and causing the patient to adhere to post-operation physician's instructions.
Referring to FIG. 2, in another embodiment of the invention, a food package 200, is shown. The food package 200 includes a container, such as, container 202 for storing a food product (not shown), and a casing such as casing 204 for enclosing the container 202. The container 202 is similar to the container 102 illustrated in FIG. 1.
The casing 204 may be made of a structurally strong, light weight, attractive, stackable, and disposable material. In one embodiment of the present invention, the casing 204 may be made of a cardboard material.
For the purpose of this description, the casing 204 is shown to be of a cubical shape in order to accommodate the container 202 which is cylindrical shaped. However, the invention herein disclosed is not intended to be limited thereto. Accordingly, the casing 204 may be of any other geometric shapes, such as a square shape, rectangular shape, an oval shape, and a triangular shape, depending on the shape of the container 202.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the food package comprises a casing that includes a label for identifying a food product stored in a container enclosed in the casing. FIG. 3 illustrates such a casing 304. The label represents the food product as a pre-weighed “4 Ounces” frozen food product. The “4 Ounces” label enables a patient to avoid weighing the food product before consuming a heated form of the food product.
Optionally, the label may represent the food product by a variety of slogans and illustrations. For example, the slogans like “Complete Balanced Meal for Patients after a Gastric-By-Pass or Lap-Band Surgery”, “High Protein, Vitamins and Minerals”, and a combination thereof, may be included on the casing 304. Moreover, the label on the casing 304 may be used to represent the ingredients of the food product. The label may also represent weight, ingredients and any other relevant details of food product. Further, the label may either be designed or printed on the casing 304. It should be understood that the labels may be designed in standard or custom sizes and shapes, colors, and materials, depending on a manufacturer's preferences, and accordingly may not be considered as limiting to the scope of the present invention.
A method for consuming a food product provided by the present invention, such as the food product 104, by the patients that have undergone weight-loss surgeries may be explained as below. With reference to FIG. 1, the method includes heating the container 102 storing the food product 104 in a frozen form. The food product 104 may be heated in a microwave. The heated food product 104 may be consumed by the patient. As already mentioned, the weight of the food product 104 is four ounces. More specifically, the four ounces of the food product 104 is packaged in the container 102. Accordingly, the present invention enables the patient to avoid measuring the food product 104 before consuming. The method further includes consuming the food product three times a day in order to maintain weight after a weight loss surgery. It should be understood that the food product 104 and a method for consuming the food product 104 disclosed in the present invention may be used by a user even though the user has not undergone a weight loss surgery, without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
The food package provided by the present invention serves as an effective tool for maintaining weight of a patient after a weight-loss surgery. The food package includes a pre-weighed quantity of a food product enclosed in a microwavable container. Accordingly, the patient may directly heat the microwavable container storing the food product in a frozen form and thereafter consume the heated food product. Another advantage of the food package disclosed herein is that the pre-weighed quantity of the food product eliminates a need for weighing the food product by the patient before consuming. In addition, the food package includes a frozen form of the food product, thereby enabling a user to store and preserve the food package in a freezer.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omission and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but such are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A food package comprising:

a food product in a frozen form; and

a container for storing the food product;

wherein the food product has a weight of less than or equal to about four ounces.

2. The food package of claim 1, further comprising a casing for enclosing the container storing the food product.

3. The food package of claim 2, wherein the casing is made of a cardboard material.

4. The food package of claim 1, wherein the container is a microwavable container.

5. The food package of claim 1, wherein the container is made of a plastic material.

6. The food package of claim 1, further comprising an airtight seal configured on the container for retaining the food product stored in the container.

7. The food package of claim 6, wherein the air tight seal is made of a plastic material.