Cryovac, Inc.

Michael J Rosinski

Joseph E Owensby

Ram Kumar Ramesh

Stephen Floyd Compton

H Walker Stockley

Sumita Sanjeevi Ranganathan

Robert A Odabashian

Richard Keith Watson

Diana L Huerta

Scott W Beckwith

Sean A Brady

Parimal M Vadhar

Vivian Ann Shaver

David M Finley

Rodney R Hodgson

Scott C Bossong

Terry L Troutt

Laurie Joy Ballenger

Lee Conrad Reviere

Jeff Womack

Scott Bossong

An easy-open/reclosable vacuum skin package includes a bottom web, a product, and a top web; the bottom web includes a laminate having a shaped die-cut, and a label overlying the die-cut, and adhered to the laminate, such that when the label is peeled back, a portion of the laminate is peeled back, opening the package, and the package can be reclosed by returning the label to its original position on the laminate. A method of making an easy-open/reclosable vacuum skin package includes providing a bottom web; disposing a product on the bottom web; providing a thermoformable top web; and advancing the product through a VSP process to make a package in which the top web is in contact with and conformed to the product; the bottom web including a laminate having a die-cut, and a label overlying the die-cut, and adhered to the laminate.

Vacuum skin package with easy-open/reclosable bottom web

A heat-shrinkable packaging article has one or more tear initiators for initiating a manual tear that can be propagated to open a package and allow a product to be readily removed therefrom, without the use of a knife or scissors or any other implement. The tear initiators are present in a skirt and/or header of the article. The skirt and/or header has a first side and a second side. In one embodiment, some or all of the first side of the skirt and/or header can be heatset in order to reduce the shrink and curling of the skirt and/or header. This improves identification and utilization of the tear initiators by a consumer upon shrinking the packaging article around the product. In another embodiment, the skirt and/or header has a plurality of pairs of tear initiators to allow portions of the package to be torn off to expose a portion of the product that can then be sliced off while the remainder of the packaged product remains covered by a remainder of the film.

Easy opening packaging article made from heat-shrinkable film exhibiting directional tear

A heat-shrinkable backseamed casing film comprises a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer, with the first and third layers being outer layers and the second layer being between the first layer and the third layer. The first outer layer serves as an inside casing layer, and comprises polyolefin; the second layer comprises polyester and/or polyamide; the third layer serves as an outside casing layer and comprises polyolefin, polystyrene, and/or polyamide. The second layer has a thickness of at least about 5% of a total thickness of the heat-shrinkable casing film. Alternatively, the first layer comprises polyolefin and has a surface energy level of less than about 34 dynes/cm; the second layer comprises a polyamide having a melting point of at least 300&#xb0; F.; and the third layer comprises polyolefin, polystyrene and/or polyamide. A package comprises a cooked meat product within the backseamed casing. The second layer of the casing film prevents or reduces necking down on the forming shoe during backseaming. The backseamed casing is especially useful for cook-in applications.

Backseamed casing and packaged product incorporating same

A heat-shrinkable backseamed casing film comprises a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer, with the first and third layers being outer layers and the second layer being between the first layer and the third layer. The first outer layer serves as an inside casing layer, and comprises polyolefin; the second layer comprises polyester and/or polyamide; the third layer serves as an outside casing layer and comprises polyolefin, polystyrene, and/or polyamide. The second layer has a thickness of at least about 5% of a total thickness of the heat-shrinkable casing film. Alternatively, the first layer comprises polyolefin and has a surface energy level of less than about 34 dynes/cm; the second layer comprises a polyamide having a melting point of at least 300&deg; F.; and the third layer comprises polyolefin, polystyrene and/or polyamide. A package comprises a cooked meat product within the backseamed casing. The second layer of the casing film prevents or reduces necking down on the forming shoe during backseaming. The backseamed casing is especially useful for cook-in applications.

A laminate comprising first and second polymeric films. One of the films is heat shrinkable and the other of the first and second films is non-heat shrinkable. At least one of the first and second films has an oxygen permeance of no more than about 150 cm /m &middot;atm&middot;24 hours at 23&deg; C. and 0% relative humidity. The first film comprises an outer layer which, even when untreated, has a surface energy of at least 0.034 J/m , and at least about 10 weight percent of one or more polymers having a Vicat softening point of at least about 65&deg; C. The first film outer layer forms a first outer surface of the laminate. The outer layer of the second film forms the second outer surface of the laminate. The laminate has an improved ability to be sealed about a forming shoe without necking down.

Laminated cook-in film

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Woodruff, SC, United States of America

Michael J Rosinski