Compressible food container and methods for its use and manufacture

Abstract

A food container is disclosed. Embodiments of the food container include a repository composed of inelastic, flexible material and a fitment with an opening sufficiently wide to permit extrusion of moderately cohesive foods with moderate to high viscosity, and sufficiently narrow to prevent such foods from spilling from the fitment opening. In some embodiments, the fitment opening bears a tamper-evident hermetic seal or a replaceable cap, which may also have a tamper-evident seal. Methods are disclosed for manufacturing the food container by assembling it and filling it with food. Other methods involve using the container to eat by squeezing it.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A compressible food container, the food container comprising:
 a compressible food repository having an opening at one end; and   a fitment affixed at the opening of the repository, the fitment having a substantially tubular form, an at-repository opening and a feeding opening, and a lumen with a cross-sectional width of at least 20 millimeters.   
     
     
         2 . A food container according to  claim 1 , wherein the compressible food repository is composed of a flexible, substantially inelastic material. 
     
     
         3 . A food container according to  claim 1 , wherein the repository has a maximum height of 38 centimeters and a maximum width and depth of 15 centimeters. 
     
     
         4 . A food container according to  claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional area of the feeding opening is at most 11.25 square centimeters. 
     
     
         5 . A food container according to  claim 1 , wherein the at-repository opening has a cross-sectional width of at most 90 millimeters. 
     
     
         6 . A food container according to  claim 1 , wherein the fitment at the feeding opening has an outer cross-sectional perimeter substantially elliptical in form. 
     
     
         7 . A food container according to  claim 6 , wherein the long axis of the fitment cross-section at the feeding opening is at most than 55 millimeters in length, and the short axis of the fitment cross-section at that point is at most 45 millimeters in length. 
     
     
         8 . A food container according to  claim 6 , wherein the feeding opening is also elliptical, the long axis of the feeding opening is 45 millimeters in length, and the short axis of the feeding opening cross-section at that point is 25 millimeters in length. 
     
     
         9 . A food container according to  claim 1 , wherein the fitment further comprises a feeder shaft extending out of the repository opening, with the feeding opening at the end of the feeder shaft. 
     
     
         10 . A food container according to  claim 9 , wherein the feeder shaft has a length of at most 70 millimeters. 
     
     
         11 . A food container according to  claim 9 , wherein the feeder shaft has a length of at least 5 millimeters. 
     
     
         12 . A food container according to  claim 9 , wherein the feeding opening has a concave curvature with respect to the cross-sectional plane. 
     
     
         13 . A food container according to  claim 1 , wherein the feeding opening is closed with a removable, hermetic, tamper-evident seal. 
     
     
         14 . A food container according to  claim 1 , further comprising a replaceable cap covering the feeding opening. 
     
     
         15 . A food container according to  claim 14 , wherein the replaceable cap further comprises a tamper-evident seal. 
     
     
         16 . A food container according to  claim 1 , wherein the fitment has heat seal ridges on its exterior surface. 
     
     
         17 . A method for assembling a food container, the method comprising:
 providing an unsealed food container comprising a compressible food repository having an opening at one end and a fitment at the opening of the repository, the fitment having a substantially tubular form, an at-repository opening and a feeding opening, and a lumen with a cross-sectional width of at least 20 millimeters, and having at least one open seam;   filling the unsealed food container with food; and   sealing the at least one open seam.   
     
     
         18 . A method for consuming food from a food container, the method comprising:
 providing a food container comprising a compressible food repository filled with food and having an opening at one end and a fitment at the opening of the repository, the fitment having a substantially tubular form, an at-repository opening and a feeding opening, and a lumen with a cross-sectional width of at least 20 millimeters;   squeezing the food container with one hand to cause a bite-sized portion of the food to extrude from the fitment; and   biting off the extruded food.