Packaged food item and method

Abstract

A packaged food item has a package holding the food item, with a preformed part having a receptacle with a peripheral edge, and second part sealed to the edge, forming an enclosure holding the food item. The receptacle is a sheet having an inner face conforming to a shaped portion of a surface of the food item, and may have an outer face following the shape of the inner face. The food item is retained within the enclosure with the shaped portion of the surface of the food item and the inner face of the receptacle mutually in proximity. The food item is securely retained with the outer face of the receptacle providing, to a viewer of the package, a clear display of the shape of the food item, permitting any display, graphics or text, on the surface of the item to be visible on the outer face of the package, without the need to apply pressure or heat to conform the package to the shaped portion of the packaged food item.

1 . A packaged food item comprising a package having an enclosure adapted to hold the food item, wherein the package comprises:
 a first package part comprising a receptacle having an opening with an edge extending at least partially around the opening, and   a second package part attached to the edge,   wherein the enclosure is at least partially formed via an association between the first and second package parts,   wherein the receptacle includes an inner face adapted to conform to a shaped portion of a surface of the food item,   wherein the enclosure is configured to retain the food item with the shaped portion of the surface of the food item being proximate to the inner face of the receptacle   wherein the edge comprises a flange extending at least partially around the opening, and the second package part is attached to the flange,   wherein the second package part is peelably sealed to the first package part at the flange, and   wherein the first package part and the second package part are formed from the same sheet of film as a unitary item and folded together to form the package.   
     
     
         2 . The packaged food item of  claim 1  wherein the first package part is a preformed package part. 
     
     
         3 . The packaged food item of  claim 1  wherein the receptacle includes an outer face following the shape of the inner face. 
     
     
         4 . The packaged food item of  claim 2  in which the first preformed package part is a moulded sheet of film, optionally of thickness less than 100 μm. 
     
     
         5 . The packaged food item of  claim 4  in which the first preformed package part is a moulded sheet of, or comprising, a polymer film. 
     
     
         6 . The packaged food item of  claim 4  wherein the moulded sheet of film is a laminate sheet comprising one or more polymer layers and optionally comprising a metal layer, optionally an aluminum layer. 
     
     
         7 . The packaged food item of  claim 2  in which the first preformed package part is self-supporting. 
     
     
         8 . The packaged food item of  claim 2  in which the first preformed package part is non-self-supporting. 
     
     
         9 . The packaged food item of  claim 1  in which the second package part is a sheet of film. 
     
     
         10 - 12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . The packaged food item of  claim 1  wherein the second package part is re-attachably sealed to the first preformed package part at the flange. 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . The packaged food item of  claim 1  wherein the first package part and the second package part are mutually hinged. 
     
     
         16 . The packaged food item of  claim 1  wherein the first preformed package part comprises a first tab adapted for gripping whereby the first preformed package part may be held and pulled for separation of first and second package parts to open the package. 
     
     
         17 . The packaged food item of  claim 1  wherein the second package part comprises a second tab adapted for gripping whereby the first preformed package part may be held and pulled for separation of first and second package parts to open the package. 
     
     
         18 . The packaged food item of  claim 1  wherein the first and/or second package parts are formed of a plastically deformable material whereby the package may be manually compacted for disposal following removal from the food item. 
     
     
         19 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The packaged food item of  claim 3  wherein the outer face of the package conforms to the shape of the packaged food item. 
     
     
         22 - 27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . The packaged food item of  claim 1  wherein the receptacle comprises planar portions suitable for display of graphics. 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . The packaged food item of  claim 1 :
 wherein the food item is a chocolate-based moulded item or a baked moulded item, and   wherein the moulded item has a shaped portion formed solidified in contact with an inner face of a mould and a freely set portion formed solidified at an opening of said mould.   
     
     
         31 - 36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . A method of forming a packaged food item, the method comprising:
 providing a food item,   providing a first package part comprising a receptacle having an opening with an edge extending at least partially around the opening, wherein the receptacle includes an inner face adapted to conform to a shaped portion of a surface of the food item,   providing a second package part adapted for sealing to the edge,   bringing together the food item and the receptacle with the shaped portion of the surface of the food item being proximate to the inner face of the receptacle, and   attaching the second package part to the first package part at the edge to form the packaged food item with the food item at least partially retained in an enclosure formed via an association between the first and second package parts,   wherein the second package part is a sheet of film,   wherein the edge comprises a flange extending at least partially around the opening and the second package part is attached to the flange,   wherein the first preformed package part and the second package part are formed from the same sheet of film as a unitary item and are folded together around the food item to form the enclosure, and   wherein the second package part is peelably sealed to the first package part at the flange.   
     
     
         38 - 48 . (canceled) 
     
     
         49 . The method of claim  38  wherein the outer face of the receptacle is printed prior to formation from a flat sheet, with the printing onto the flat sheet taking into account a subsequent distortion of the flat sheet when deformed to form the receptacle. 
     
     
         50 - 52 . (canceled) 
     
     
         53 . A package for containing a food item, the package having an enclosure adapted to hold said food item, wherein the package comprises:
 a first preformed package part comprising a receptacle having an opening with an edge extending at least partially around the opening, and   a second package part attached to the edge,   wherein the enclosure is at least partially formed via an association between the first and second package parts,   wherein the edge comprises a flange extending at least partially around the opening, and the second package part is attached to the flange,   wherein the second package part is peelably sealed to the first package part at the flange, and   wherein the first package part and the second package part are formed from the same sheet of film as a unitary item and folded together to form the package.   
     
     
         54 . (canceled) 
     
     
         55 . The packaged food item of  claim 1 , in which the second package part is a sheet of a substantially flat piece of film.