2006-04-25|Big Idea Group (BIG): General Mills Idea Hunt
NutriPuck™
Hockey-Puck Shape&Size No-Mess Fun Snack-Meal Packed with Nutrition!
Detailed Description
Prior Art:
Existing snacks are too messy!
Chocolate is too melty.
Donuts are too greasy.
Candies are too sticky.
Cookies and crackers are too crumbly.
Granola bars and energy bars are too softy.
Chips and popcorn are too indulgent.
Proposed Product:
NutriPuck™ is shaped and sized exactly like a hockey puck.
National Hockey League (NHL) regulation
Thickness: 25.4 mm (exactly 1")
Diameter: 76.2 mm (exactly 3")
NutriPuck™ provides clean and neat eating experience.
NutriPuck™ contains vitamins and minerals.
NutriPuck™ contains protein and essential oil (Omega-3 fatty acid).
NutriPuck™ contains anti-oxidants.
NutriPuck™ contains no saturated fat or trans-fat hydrogenated oil.
NutriPuck™ contains no added sugar (natural sugar only).
NutriPuck™ helps kids eat sensibly and control calorie consumption.
NutriPuck™ prevents overweight and obesity.
NutriPuck™ has smooth and uniform constency/texture.
NutriPuck™ is neither too hard nor too soft.
NutriPuck™ offers both sweet snack and salty snack.
NutriPuck™ familialises kids to the flavour of real food.
NutriPuck™ entertains kids with many bright colours.
NutriPuck™ has images and letters printed with edible ink or engraved with laser.
NutriPuck™ facilitates counting the exact calories consumed.
NutriPuck™ lasts a long time for emergencies (hurricane, tornado, flood, tsunami, earthquake, etc.).
Prototype:
The closest prototype that I have made is a pancake with blended ingredients. The consistency/texture, mouth feel, taste experience, etc. of NutriPuck™ should be similar to those of a pancake.
Eating experience resembles that of a pancake: Not melty, not greasy, not sticky, not crumbly, not too hard, not too soft, etc.
Since the protein coating is only available to industrial users, I have not done this part, but it should work since it works on fruits OK.
The amount of vitamins and minerals can be adjusted in order to reach the optimum level for sustaining healthy life without eating anything else.
Please note that I volunteer for the task myself of consuming nothing but NutriPuck™ (with milk or juice) for 1 year. I also authorise you to produce a movie out of my experience: "Super-Health Me!"
Possible Flavours:
Here are some possible combinations:
NutriPuck™ Fruit
Gelatin-based puck
Crazy fruit mixes, Orange, Banana, Kiwi, Melon, Strawberry, Apple, etc.
NutriPuck™ Variety
Flour-based puck
BBQ, Hamburger, Hotdog, Pizza, Ranch, Vanilla, Cinnamon, etc.
NutriPuck™ Salty
Corn-based puck, Soy-based puck
Cheese, Bacon, Egg, Vegetables, Tomato, Peanut, etc.
NutriPuck™ Meat and Seafood
Potato-based puck
Beef, Pork, Chicken, Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp, etc.
Real-Food Chunk Series
spaghetti (OK)
rice (OK)
cous-cous (No!)
tofu (?)
...
International Series
Italian (oregano)
Hungarian (paprika)
Greek (?)
...
Suggested Portions:
1 puck for younger kids
2 pucks for older kids
4 pucks for teenage kids
3 pucks for adults (optional)
2 pucks for seniors (optional)
Kids Appeal and Interaction:
NutriPuck™ is super-cool!
NutriPuck™ is super-fun!
NutriPuck™ is super-colourful!
NutriPuck™ is a super-interesting snack.
Mom's and Pop's Reaction:
NutriPuck™ offers No-Mess Heaven!
NutriPuck™ is convenient and wholesome.
NutriPuck™ makes excellent breakfast.
NutriPuck™ makes great lunch.
NutriPuck™ makes quick supper.
NutriPuck™ makes good emergency food in case of natural disasters (tornado, hurricane, tsunami, earthquakes, etc.).
Wow, the kids eat vegetables! It's a miracle!!
Future Extensions:
Infinite variations and combinations are possible.
It may be possible to add a core with fresh fruit/vegetable/meat/seafood in shelf-stable form if an irradiation machine is used.
NutriPuck™ can be dispensed by a coin-operated machine.
NutriPuck™ Do-It-Yourself mix powder pouch kit (just add water and heat up).
Microwave oven tray mould with heat coating (TiO2).
Design "NutriPuck™ Dispenser" for multiple stacks to be dispensed at home by the push of a button.
Interior Mixture:
NutriPuck™ uses egg and/or gelatin as binder.
NutriPuck™ is hard at room temperature (ideal for cold lunch, snack).
NutriPuck™ becomes soft when heated (ideal for hot supper).
Surface Treatment:
NutriPuck™ is coated with edible milk protein (CO2-casein) (replacement of wax on fruits).
The protein-coated NutriPuck™ is water-proof, so it is washable with water, just like an apple.
The protein-coating is air-tight in order to prevent contamination by microbes/bacteria/germs.
The edible milk protein (CO2-casein) is patented by the U.S. Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
Processing:
Cooking in high pressure and high temperature (inside the mould) with non-hydrogenated oil in oxygen-free nitrogen-only environment.
Followed by vacuum suction for oxygen-nitrogen exchange of the interior.
Subsequent treatment processes done in an oxygen-free nitrogen-only environment.
Packaging:
NutriPuck™ can be individually packaged in a transparent plastic film with no labels or markings since everything is printed on NutiriPuck™ itself.
NutriPuck™ can be piled up to form a "NutriPuck™ Stack" to be packaged in a transparent plastic tube, 80 mm (3-1/8") in diameter.
The transparent plastic tube packaging is re-sealable, and is made of environmentally-friendly recyclable plastic.
NutriPuck™ Stack would be filled with nitrogen gas (N2) with positive pressure.
NutriPuck™ Tube would be about the size of a pop can, so it can be sold in a vending machine (especially at schools).
Marketing:
NutriPuck™ is absolutely unique!
NutriPuck™ is so nutritious that you can live a healthy life eating only NutriPuck™ every day (with milk or fruit juice).
NutriPuck™ is cooked with Canola Oil (0 saturated fat, 0 trans-fat hydrogenated oil).
NutriPuck™ has ideal calorie count.
NutriPuck™ tastes so good that Mom and Pop will steal yours!
NutriPuck™ appeals to kids of all ages, even to kids in spirit (adults and seniors).
NutriPuck™ provides quick meal for busy people of all ages.
NutriPuck™ makes great snack watching TV or watching a sporting event.
NutriPuck™ is delicious when it is cold (hard) or hot (soft).
NutriPuck™ is delicious with or without ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, dressing, barbeque sauce, etc.
NutriPuck™ is easy on the teeth (ideal for teens with braces, elders with dentures).
There is potential to spread the "NutriPuck™ Mania" phenomenon.
Alternative names
Eat-a-Puck!
EdiPuck
PuckMeal!
PuckNack!
PuckFun?
FunPuck?
KidsPuck?
HealthyPuck?
MagicPuck?
MiraclePuck?
WonderPuck?
SoylentPuck!
Competition:
NutriPuck™ is a NEW brand with a creative, innovative, and unique concept.
Intellectual Property to be Licensed:
Trade-mark "NutriPuck™" or "PuckMeal™" [to be filed]
Design patent for the appearance of the NutriPuck™ [to be filed]
Utility patent for the method of applying protein film on a puck-shaped food [to be filed]
Utility patent for electric puck-shaped food maker [to be filed]
Internet website domain name registration <http://NutriPuck.com/> [to be secured]
