Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation

Darrell G Cornish

Paul E Grindrod

Ray H Griesbach

Timothy G Mally

Bjorn J Thompson

Carroll P Hartl

Daniel A Thiemann

A package is provided for enclosing a proteinaceous product under vacuumized and hermetically sealed conditions. The package has a peelable hermetic reclosure and a body member of semi-rigid preformed plastic with a first planar marginal portion and a central portion shaped to provide a packaging chamber. The package also has a flexible dimensionally stable base member having a corresponding second planar marginal portion and a central portion to provide a closure for said packaging chamber. The two planar marginal portions are adhered together face-to-face by an adhesive to provide at least a portion of the hermetic seal wherein said adhesive is a high molecular weight pressure sensitive hot-melt adhesive having a viscosity of between about 5,000 and about 100,000 centipoise at 300.degree. F. and said adhesive provides a peelable hermetic reclosure. Curling and wrinkling of the flexible base member are precluded by utilizing a flexible base member that is a film component, preferably a polyolefin film component, which has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is equal to or greater than that of the semi-rigid preformed plastic body member.

Vacuum packaging with hermetic reclosure

A flexible, bag-like package which includes an access opening containing a reclosable seal at or near its top edge, is encompassed by a tamper-evident band. The band is bonded to the front and back wall panels of the package and extends across the access opening. Attempts to remove the band in order to open the package will result in disruption of the band or the wall panels.

Reclosable package with encompassing tamper-evident band

A continuous method of enclosing a proteinaceous product in a vacuumized and hermetically sealed package having a peelable hermetic reclosure and having a body member of semi-rigid preformed plastic with a first planar marginal portion and a central portion shaped to provide a packaging chamber. The package also has a flexible dimensionally stable base member having a corresponding second planar marginal portion and a central portion to provide a closure for said packaging chamber. The method requires placing a sufficient quantity of proteinaceous product in the central portion of the body member to substantially fill the central portion when the package is completed, positioning the first planar marginal portion face-to-face to the corresponding second planar marginal portion, vacuumizing the assembly, and hermetically sealing the package. The improvement is applying an adhesive to either the first planar marginal portion to provide at least a portion of the hermetic seal wherein said adhesive is a high molecular weight pressure sensitive hot melt adhesive having a viscosity of between 5,000 to 100,000 centipoise at 300.degree. F. and said adhesive provides a peelable hermetic reclosure.

Method of forming a vacuum package with hermetic reclosure

Deformable products (that is, resizable products) which are within preformed packages are resized by the application of mechanical forces so that the products substantially conform to the size and shape of the inside surface of the package. Such resizing is accomplished by an apparatus and method utilizing a pressure generating member to apply a preselected force to the product in cooperation with a restrained cavity concept, whereby the force applied is directed and restrained to resize the product to substantially the same size and shape as the inside surface of the package. Such apparatus and method may be useful before, during or after closing the package.

Growing community of inventors

McFarland, WI, United States of America

Darrell G Cornish