Sealed crustless sandwich
A sealed crustless sandwich is a type of sandwich which has a filling sealed between one big layer of bread. The big layer of bread is crimped together to seal in the filling and the crust is removed. A popular variety is peanut butter and jelly.
Sealed crustless sandwiches are mass-produced by The J. M. Smucker Company under the brand name "Uncrustables".
A number of patents have issued for various versions of sealed crustless sandwiches. These include U.S. Patent 2,463,439, U.S. Patent 3,782,270, U.S. Patent 6,004,596 and U.S. Patent 6,874,409. The '596 patent has been especially controversial since it appears to the general public as if an obvious and well known invention has been patented. On September 25, 2007, the United States Patent and Trademark Office concluded its reexamination of the '596 patent and issued a certificate cancelling all claims.
Controversial patent
The first claim of Menusaver's patent reads:
- a first bread layer having a first perimeter surface coplanar to a contact surface;
- at least one filling of an edible food juxtaposed to said contact surface;
- a second bread layer juxtaposed to said at least one filling opposite of said first bread layer, wherein said second bread layer includes a second perimeter surface similar to said first perimeter surface;
- a crimped edge directly between said first perimeter surface and said second perimeter surface for sealing said at least one filling between said first bread layer and said second bread layer;
- wherein a crust portion of said first bread layer and said second bread layer has been removed.
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