W. R. Grace Co.

W. R. Grace & Co., Cryovac Division

W. R. Grace & Co., Cryovac Div.

Milton A Howe, Jr

Anne C Bieler

Dave L Owen

David Allen Hendricks

Stephen Royall Luck

Alfred Ray Morris

Disclosed is a package for cheese, luncheon meat and the like having an easy open seal. The package comprises a pouch-like receptacle constructed from flexible thermoplastic film having at least two layers wherein the outer surface layer has a tensile strength greater than the bond strength between the outer layer and its adjacent layer. To form the easy open seal the edges of the mouth of the receptacle are folded inwardly, flattened, and a heat seal applied to compress and seal together the resulting four layers of film with the seal being located between the edges and the fold lines. The resulting two folds provide grippable halves which can be pulled apart thereby rupturing one of the outer layers and delaminating the film from the point of rupture to the edge of the film, the delamination occurring between the outer layer and the adjacent layer.

Multiply package having delaminating easy open seal

Bags are dispensed from a stack of bags by locating the stack of bags on a dispensing surface and elastically pinching the stack of bags to the dispensing surface with an elastic compression means. The bags are thus capable of being removed from the stack one at a time without otherwise disrupting the stack.

Bag dispenser

A method of improving the high temperature strength of a heat seal which bonds cross-linkable thermoplastic material together by first forming the heat seal and then irradiating the seal area with ionizing radiation to increase the cross-linking in the material of the seal area by at least 2 MR.

Sealing cross-linked thermoplastic materials

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for loading articles, particularly meat articles, into containers. The apparatus comprises two groups of movably mounted beams cantilevered in a direction of article progression. One group of beams is movable in a vertical direction while the other group of beams is movable in a horizontal direction. The movement of the beams is synchronized to provide for article movement in the desired direction. The terminal portions of both sets of beams are unconnected and spaced apart so as to provide a spaced relationship between the group of beams to permit the insertion of a container over the terminal portions of the beams.

Walking beam bag loader

The strength of a heat seal which bonds irradiatively cross-linkable thermoplastic materials together can be significantly improved by irradiating the seal area after sealing is completed. This technique is especially effective for improving the seal strength of packaging film laminates such as those having a layer of saran and a layer of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer.

In the preparation and storage of cooked, bulk packaged food in flexible receptacles, the quality of the food is increased, the cooking conditions are closely controlled, the growth of bacteria is restricted, and the storage time is increased by reducing the interior temperature of the food from its filling temperature of at least 180.degree. F. to below 45.degree. F. in less than a half hour. Said temperature reduction is preferably achieved by filling the receptacle so that the food therein is flowable or mobile and then tumbling the receptacle in a cooling medium so that the food flows or moves within the receptacle. After storage at 28.degree. F. to 32.degree. F., the food may be heated by tumbling the receptacle in a heating medium in order to bring the food quickly to serving temperature thereby avoiding overcooking.

Process for packaging, cooling and storing food items

Sealed cross-linked thermoplastic sheets

A device useful for dispensing taped bags includes spaced apart rotatably mounted carriers, a surface therebetween to wind up at least one tape, and a clutch assembly for unidirectional rotation of the wind up surface. In various embodiments, the device further includes a variety of features which facilitate removal of wound up tape, such as a spring which is compressible to provide a clearance, a pin to permit rotation of the wind up surface away from a carrier plate, use of spaced apart flexible rods as the surface whereby the free ends of the rods may be compressed to reduce the surface perimeter, and forming the surface of low friction material. The device is especially useful when used as a component of apparatus having a housing for supporting a supply of taped bags. Also provided is a process useful for removing flexible receptacles such as bags from a chain having at least one bag-connecting tape, which includes securing the tape to a reel, rotating the reel to (a) withdraw the leading bag from a supply, (b) wind up a portion of the tape, and (c) create tension on the tape, manually removing at least the leading bag from the tensioned tape, repeating the two preceding operations, and thereafter removing the resulting accumulated tape. The device and apparatus may be operated and the process may be carried out in simple, efficient, manual manner without requiring costly or complex power components.

Growing community of inventors

Spartanburg, SC, United States of America

Milton A Howe, Jr