David Wawrzynski claims the 'Little Dipper ' condiment package he patented in 1997 led H.J . Heinz Co. to develop its Dip & Squeeze ketchup packets , which it rolled out in February 2010 . A Michigan food entrepreneur claims the 'Little Dipper ' condiment package he patented in 1997 led H.J . Heinz Co. to develop its Dip & Squeeze ketchup packets , which it rolled out in February 2010 , lawyers in opening statements told a federal court jury in Pittsburgh on Monday . The trial , expected to last through until Thursday , will determine whether or not Pittsburgh-based Heinz used David Wawrzynski 's 'concrete , new and novel ' ideas when it developed the dual-purpose ketchup packets . If the jury rules in the Detroit businessman 's favor and determines Heinz agreed to pay for the ideas , a separate trial will begin June 10 on how much Heinz owes Wawrzynski . 'Heinz says it did n't use any of Mr. Wawrzynski 's ideas — they thought it up all on their own , ' his attorney , Eugene Boyle Jr. told the jury . 'We 're here to tell you that 's not true . ' Boyle told The Associated Press he ca n't say how much Wawrzynski is seeking because an expert hired to calculate the sum has n't issued a final report . But Heinz attorney David Wolfsohn said Heinz owes nothing because the Dip & Squeeze owes nothing to the cone-shaped container that Wawrzynski invented . Drawings of two versions of that product were shown to the jury , including one with a keyhole-shaped opening that enables a person to dip a french fry into ketchup , while wiping off excess amounts as it 's pulled out of the opening . Wawrzynski is n't claiming Heinz copied the exact design . Rather , he contends Heinz did n't have the idea for a ketchup container that could be dipped into and squeezed until they heard his pitch . Wolfsohn denied that claim . Heinz claims the Dip & Squeeze grew out of an earlier idea called the 'Dunk ' n Squirt ' that it shelved in 2006 because it could n't make it cheaply enough . The Dip & Squeeze grew out of an earlier idea called the 'Dunk ' n Squirt ' that Heinz began working on in 2002 but shelved in 2006 because it could n't find a vendor to make the throwaway ketchup packets cheaply enough , the company says . The packets must be cheap to purchase because fast-food restaurants and others give the packets away for free , Wolfsohn said . Prototypes developed in 2006 were keystone-shaped — like Heinz 's iconic ketchup label — and had a peelable top if a customer wanted to dip a fry and a tear-off end so the ketchup could be squeezed , Wolfsohn said . Except for the keystone shape , the Dip & Squeeze packets are nearly identical . But Boyle insists the idea came from the 44-year-old Wawrzynski , who began working in the food industry at 13 . After working at pizzerias over five years from the time he was 16 , Wawrzynski launched Wok to You , a firm that delivers Asian food from 30 different Detroit-area restaurants . 'Dave 's been tinkering with condiment packaging since high school , ' Boyle said . When an earlier letter to Heinz did n't attract attention , he wrote to then-CEO William Johnson in March 2008 and met with Heinz officials a month later , Boyle said . Heinz does n't deny the meeting took place , but says the discussions revolved around his hand-held , cone-shaped container designed to keep french fries from dripping ketchup . 'The ideas that were discussed at that meeting had nothing to do with the Dip & Squeeze , ' Wolfsohn said .
David Wawrzynski patented his 'Little Dipper ' condiment package in 1997 . He claims H.J . the Dip & Squeeze Co. developed its Dip & Squeeze ketchup packets after a 2008 meeting in which he showed them his designs . the Dip & Squeeze claims Heinz grew out of an earlier idea called the 'Dunk ' n Squirt ' that it shelved in 2006 because it could n't make it cheaply enough . A court in Pittsburgh will decide this week if the Dip & Squeeze was influenced by Wawrzynski 's concept and could lead to him seeking compensation .