U.S. patent application number 10/413321 was filed with the patent office on 2003-10-23 for top formed packaging.
Invention is credited to Foulke, Guy L. JR..
Application Number | 20030196412 10/413321 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29218948 |
Filed Date | 2003-10-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030196412 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Foulke, Guy L. JR. |
October 23, 2003 |
Top formed packaging
Abstract
A packaging machine may package irregularly shaped food products
such that a heat-sensitive lidding material is thermoformed to
generally conform to the configuration of the food product.
Inventors: |
Foulke, Guy L. JR.; (Hilton
Head Island, SC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Timothy N. Trop
TROP PRUNER & HU, P.C.
8554 Katy Freeway, Suite 100
Houston
TX
77024-1841
US
|
Family ID: |
29218948 |
Appl. No.: |
10/413321 |
Filed: |
April 14, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60373867 |
Apr 19, 2002 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/432 ;
53/329.3; 53/478; 53/510 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B 31/028 20130101;
B65B 7/164 20130101; B65B 11/52 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
53/432 ; 53/478;
53/510; 53/329.3 |
International
Class: |
B65B 031/02; B65B
007/28 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of generating a package containing a food product, the
package including a preformed tray defining a peripheral flange and
a thermoformable flexible lidding material, the method comprising
the steps of: mounting a female thermoforming mold within the
perimeter of a heat-sealing platen allowing an insulated area
between the female thermoforming mold and the heat-sealing platen
sufficient to cause a differential in temperature between the
heat-sealing platen and the female thermoforming mold;
thermoforming a flexible lidding into the general configuration of
said female thermoforming mold; and ventilation to atmosphere
through said thermoforming mold so that the thermoformable flexible
lidding material generally conforms to the configuration of the
food product contained within a preformed tray.
2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the female
thermoforming mold is mounted within the perimeter of a
heat-sealing platen so as to allow for a void area between the
female thermoforming mold and the heat-sealing platen.
3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the ventilation to
atmosphere is replaced with ventilation via compressed air.
4. A method of manufacturing a packaging device comprising:
providing a heat-sealing platen, said platen having an exterior
wall, an interior wall and a base; disposing a thermoforming mold
within the boundary defined by the interior wall of said platen;
and spacing said mold apart from said platen.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein providing a heat-sealing platen
includes providing at least one aperture in said base.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein disposing a thermoforming mold
within the boundary defined by the interior wall includes disposing
a female thermoforming mold having a plurality of apertures.
7. The method of claim 4 further including providing an insulative
spacer to space said mold apart from said platen.
8. The method of claim 7 further including bolting said
thermoforming mold to said platen such that a bolt secures said
spacer between said mold and said platen.
9. The method of claim 4 further including housing said
heat-sealing platen and said thermoforming mold within a vacuum
chamber.
10. The method of claim 9 further including providing a vacuum
source, a source for producing a positive pressure modified
atmosphere and a vent to the ambient atmosphere to said vacuum
chamber.
11. A packaging apparatus comprising: a vacuum chamber; a first
heated member disposed within said vacuum chamber; and a vacuum
source coupled to said vacuum chamber.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 further including a second heated
member coupled to said first heated member.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 further including a heat resistant
spacer disposed between said first and second heated members.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said first heated member is a
female thermoforming mold.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said second heated member is
a platen.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 further including a bolt to couple
said mold to said platen and to secure said spacer there
between.
17. The apparatus of claim 11 further including a source to provide
a positive pressure modified atmosphere coupled to said vacuum
chamber.
18. The apparatus if claim 17 further including a vent to the
ambient atmosphere coupled to said chamber.
19. An apparatus for packaging food products comprising: an upper
housing defining a first chamber; a lower housing defining a second
chamber, said lower housing opposite said upper housing; a
heat-sealing platen disposed within said upper chamber; a
thermoforming mold coupled to said platen; a spacer disposed
between said mold and said platen; a vacuum source in communication
with said upper and lower chambers; a source for positive pressure
modified atmosphere in communication with said lower chamber; and a
vent to ambient atmosphere in communication with said upper
chamber.
20. The apparatus of claim 19 further including at least one bolt
to attach said mold to said platen and to secure said spacer
between said mold and said platen.
21. The apparatus of claim 19 further including a severing device
housed within said upper chamber.
22. The apparatus of claim 19 further including a tray carrier to
transport said food package to said upper and lower housings.
23. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said platen includes an
interior wall, an exterior wall and a base.
24. The apparatus of claim 23 further including disposing said mold
within the boundary defined by the interior wall of said
platen.
25. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said platen includes at least
one aperture.
26. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said platen is spaced apart
from said upper housing.
27. A method of packaging a food product comprising: using a tray
carrier, positioning a preformed tray containing a food product
within a vacuum chamber, said vacuum chamber including a
heat-sealing platen with a female thermoforming mold coupled to
said platen; positioning a sheet of lidding material over said
tray; thermoforming said lidding material into the general
configuration of the female thermoforming mold; and ventilating to
atmosphere such that said lidding material generally conforms to
the configuration of the food product contained within said
tray.
28. The method of claim 27 wherein thermoforming said lidding
material includes creating a pressure differential across said
lidding material to cause that portion of the lidding material over
the food product to lift in the direction of said mold.
29. The method of claim 28 further including evacuating ambient
atmosphere from said tray.
30. The method of claim 29 further including introducing a positive
pressure modified atmosphere gas into said chamber to force the
lidding material into direct contact with the mold.
31. The method of claim 30 further including heating said platen to
hermetically heat-seal said lidding material to said tray.
32. The method of claim 31 further including heating said mold.
33. The method of claim 32 further including creating a temperature
differential between said heat-sealing platen and said mold.
34. The method of claim 33 further including driving said platen
into contact with said lidding material to heat-seal said lidding
material to the periphery of said tray.
35. The method of claim 27 further including severing the excess
lidding material from the perimeter of the tray.
36. A package for food products comprising: a tray; and a flexible
lidding material that is stretched, heated and lifted away from a
food product situated within said tray.
37. The package of claim 36 wherein said lidding material is cooled
and conformed to the surface of said food product.
38. The package of claim 37 wherein said lidding material is
heat-sealed to a flange on said tray.
39. A method of packaging comprising: in a sealed chamber,
positioning a sheet of flexible lidding material over a tray
containing a food product; causing said lidding material to come
into contact with a female thermoforming mold situated within said
chamber; and forcing said lidding material into conformity with the
food product.
40. The method of claim 39 further including heating said lidding
material.
41. The method of claim 39 wherein causing said lidding material to
come into contact with a female thermoforming mold includes
creating a pressure differential across said lidding material to
cause said lidding material to lift in the direction of said
mold.
42. The method of claim 41 wherein causing said lidding material to
come into contact with a female thermoforming mold includes
introducing a positive pressure gas into the sealed chamber.
43. The method of claim 42 wherein introducing a positive pressure
gas into the sealed chamber includes introducing a positive
pressure modified atmospheric gas into said chamber.
44. The method of claim 39 further including evacuating the ambient
atmosphere from said tray.
45. The method of claim 39 further including heat-sealing said
lidding material to said tray.
46. The method of claim 45 further including removing excess
lidding from the outside perimeter of said tray.
47. A method of packaging comprising: lifting a flexible lidding
material away from a food product disposed within a preformed tray;
and conforming said lidding material to the surface contours of
said food product.
48. The method of claim 47 further including heating said lidding
material as it is lifted away from said food product.
49. The method of claim 48 further including stretching said
lidding material.
50. The method of claim 49 further including cooling and shrinking
said lidding material to permanently conform it to the surface
contours of said food product.
51. The method of claim 47 further including causing said lidding
material to come in contact with a heated female thermoforming
mold.
52. The method of claim 47 further including heat-sealing said
material to said tray.
53. The method of claim 52 further including removing excess
lidding material from the perimeter of said tray.
54. The method of claim 47 wherein lifting said lidding material
includes creating a pressure differential across said lidding
material.
55. The method of claim 54 wherein lifting said lidding material
includes introducing a positive pressure modified atmospheric gas
into the confines of said tray.
56. The method of claim 55 further including evacuating ambient
atmosphere from said tray.
57. The method of claim 47 wherein conforming said lidding material
to the surface contours of said food product includes introducing
ambient pressure external to said lidding.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/373,867 filed Apr. 19, 2002.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates generally to food packaging
and in particular to food packaging relating to perishable
foods.
[0003] For many years, retailers have sold perishable food products
such as fresh meats in "case ready" packaging. Generally, case
ready packaging is based upon a central packaging location where
animals are slaughtered and cut into retail cuts. Before
distribution to the retail outlets, the meat is packaged in a
modified atmosphere packaging. Thus, retail outlets benefit because
they do not have to employ butchers for on-sight cutting and
packaging of the perishable food products.
[0004] One drawback to case ready packaging is a mismatch between
the size of the food product and the dimensions of the tray that
the food product is contained in. For example, a perishable food
product may have an irregular shape with variable dimensions, such
as a cut of beef or poultry. In contrast, the preformed trays used
for packaging the irregularly shaped food products have a
predetermined fixed regular shape. Thus, the food product is
generally contained in a preformed tray that is larger than the
food product. As a result, there is substantial headspace between
the product and the clear lidding material when the food product is
sealed in its final package.
[0005] Generally, consumers do not readily accept case ready
packaging with a substantial headspace because they perceive the
package as being only half full.
[0006] Thus, there is a continuing need for a case ready package
with minimal, if any headspace.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a sectional partial view of a package according to
embodiments of the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a sectional partial view of a heat-sealing platen
and a female thermoforming mold that is housed within the platen
according to embodiments of the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a thermoforming assembly
according to embodiments of the present invention; and
[0010] FIG. 4 is schematic view of a packaging machine that may be
adapted to produce a packaged food product according to embodiments
of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] Referring to FIG. 1, a completed food package 10 includes a
food item 12 that is situated within a preformed tray 14 having a
lidding material 16 thermoformed and heat-sealed 18 thereto. The
tray 14 may include a base 20, a layer 22 and a flange 24. In
embodiments of the present invention, the lidding material 16 may
be hermetically heat-sealed 18 to the flange 24.
[0012] The base 20 may be a conventional base made from material
such as plastic or paperboard. Likewise, the layer 22 may be a
conventional layer that is coated or laminated to the base 20. The
food item 12 may be any food item including perishable foods such
as meat and poultry. According to embodiments of the present
invention, the lidding material 16 may be any flexible
heat-sensitive film that is capable of being thermoformed.
[0013] Generally, according to embodiments of the present
invention, the lidding material 16 is positioned over the tray 14.
Thereafter, the lidding material 16 is thermoformed to conform to
the general shape of the food product 12 and is heat-sealed to the
flange 24.
[0014] Referring to FIG. 2, a thermoforming device 30 may include a
heat-sealing platen 32 and a thermoforming mold 34. The
heat-sealing platen 32 may include an exterior wall 36, an interior
wall 38 and a base 40. The interior wall 38 and base 40 define an
indentation 42 in which the thermoforming mold 34 is situated.
Additionally, the heat-sealing platen 32 may include one or more
apertures 44 and a heating element 46. The heating element 46 may
be any conventional heating element such as an electric heating
element. Generally, the heating element 46 is situated within the
base 40 of the platen 32 to heat the platen 32 to a temperature
that is high enough to seal the lidding material 16 to the tray
14.
[0015] The thermoforming mold 34 may include a side 48 that is
contoured, an opposing side 50 that is not contoured, and two
opposing walls 52. Moreover, the thermoforming mold 34 may include
a plurality of apertures 54 that extend between the contoured side
48 and the side 50 that is not contoured. Generally, the
thermoforming mold 34 is situated within the indentation 42 such
the side 50 that is not contoured is adjacent to the platen 32
whereas the contoured side 48 faces away from the platen 32.
[0016] One or more bolts 56 may be utilized to attach the
thermoforming mold 34 to the heat-sealing platen 32. In embodiments
of the present invention, a spacer 58 may be situated between the
thermoforming mold 34 and the heat-sealing platen 32. The spacer 58
may be heat resistant or insulated. Generally, the bolts 56 may
extend downwardly through the platen 32 and the spacer 58 to attach
the mold 34 to the platen 32. Accordingly, a void area 60 is
provided between the platen 32 and the mold 34 due to the spacer 58
spacing the two apart. The void area 60 between the platen 32 and
the mold 34 creates an area of insulation. Thus, the heat-sealing
platen 32 may operate at a temperature that is greater than that of
the mold 34. The mold 34 may be independently heated by electrical
resistance as an example.
[0017] Moreover, the void area 60 allows air to escape entrapment
from the area between the lidding material 16 and the mold 34 via
the apertures 54. Similarly, air in the void area 60 may be
released via the apertures 44 in the platen 32 to an area
thereabove (FIG. 3).
[0018] Referring to FIG. 3, a thermoforming assembly 62 includes an
upper section 64 and a lower section 66, each defining an upper
chamber 68 and a lower chamber 70, respectively. The thermoforming
device 30 is housed within the upper chamber 68.
[0019] When heat-sealing is desired, a tray 14 carrying a food
product 12 is transported to the thermoforming assembly 62 by way
of a tray carrier 72. Similarly, the lidding material 16 is
delivered to the thermoforming assembly 62 by conventional means
(FIG. 4). When properly positioned, the thermoforming mold 34 is
directly over the tray 14 containing the food product 12.
[0020] An external vacuum source 74 is coupled to both the upper
section 64 and the lower section 66 of the thermoforming assembly
62 and is in communication with chambers 68 and 70. The coupling of
the sections 64 and 66 to the vacuum source 74 may be by
conventional means. Valves 76 and 78, such as in-line valves, may
be utilized to regulate the vacuum to the upper and lower chambers
68 and 70 respectively. For example, when not in use the inline
valves 76 and 78 are in the off position whereas when access to the
vacuum source is desired, the valves 76 and 78 may be in the open
position.
[0021] The upper section 64 is also coupled to a source 80 of
ambient atmosphere. Articulation of valve 82 may regulate the
connection to the ambient atmosphere so that the chamber 68 may be
in selective communication with the ambient atmosphere.
Additionally, a source 84 of positive pressure modified atmospheric
gas 84 may be in communication with the lower chamber 70 of the
thermoforming assembly. Communication is selective in that a valve
86, such as an in-line valve, may be articulated to regulate gas
flow.
[0022] In operation, a food filled tray 14 may be positioned within
the interior of the assembly 62. At the same time, lidding material
16 may be delivered to the interior of assembly 62. The lidding
material 16 should be of sufficient width to fully cover the tray
carrier 72. Further, the lidding material 16 should be positioned
directly over the preformed tray 14. Thereafter, the upper section
64 and lower section 66 are moved toward each other to close the
assembly 62. The tray carrier 72 and lidding material 16 are
between the upper section 64 and the lower section 66 of the
assembly 62. Thus, upon closure of the assembly 62, the tray
carrier 72 and the thermoformable lidding 16 are clamped between
the two sections 64 and 66. Moreover, a barrier is created to the
outside atmosphere, which allows the chambers 68 and 70 to act as a
vacuum chamber. Thereafter, valve 76 is opened to the vacuum source
74 to cause a pressure differential above and below the
thermoformable lidding material 16. This pressure differential
causes at least that portion of the lidding material 16 over the
food product 12 to lift in the direction of the female
thermoforming mold 34. Because heat radiates from the female
thermoforming mold 34, the flexible lidding material 16 becomes
formable. Thereafter, the valve 78 is opened to the vacuum source
74 to allow for the evacuation of the ambient atmosphere within the
confines of the preformed tray 14. After a predetermined level of
evacuation is satisfied, valves 76 and 78 are closed. To complete
the thermoforming of the lidding material 16 to the mold 34, valve
86 is opened, which allows for the introduction of a positive
pressure modified atmospheric gas into the chamber 70. As a result,
the already heated thermoformable lidding material 16 is forced
into direct contact with the mold 34 thereby stretching the film as
well.
[0023] Once the preformed tray 14 is filled with a satisfactory
volume of modified atmosphere, the valve 86 is closed. Atmospheric
pressure is then introduced into the chamber 68 by opening the
valve 82. Because the atmospheric pressure is higher than that of
the chamber 68, the thermoforming lidding material 16 is forced
into conformity with the food product 12. As the lidding 16 cools
it shrinks to permanently conform to the shape of the food product
12.
[0024] Further, as the atmospheric pressure enters the chamber 68,
the heated platen 32 is driven into contact with that portion of
the thermoforming lidding material 16 in contact with the flange 24
of the tray 14. This brings the lidding material 16 to a
temperature that is suitable for hermetic heat-sealing to the
flange 24 of the preformed tray 14.
[0025] Referring to FIG. 4, a packaging machine 90 may include the
thermoforming assembly 62, tray carrier 72 and rolls 92 and 94 of
lidding material 16. Generally, a tray 14 may be placed on the tray
carrier 72 and filled with a food product 12. Thereafter, the
filled tray 14 is transported to the thermoforming assembly 62. At
the same time, the lidding material 16 is delivered to and away
from the thermoforming assembly 62 by way of rolls 92 and 94
respectively. The tray carrier 72 and lidding material 16 generally
move in the direction of arrow "A".
[0026] Once situated within the thermoforming assembly 62, the
lidding material 16 may be thermoformed to conform to the
configuration of the food product within the tray 14 and heat
sealed 18 to the flange 24 of the tray 14. Thereafter, the excess
lidding material 16 external to the flange 24 may be removed via a
severing device 96. In some embodiments, the severing device 96 may
be part of the thermoforming assembly 62. However, in other
embodiments of the present invention the severing device 96 may be
separate from the thermoforming assembly 62. Thereafter, the
finished package 10 (FIG. 1) is transported to an exit station 98
where the package 10 is removed. The package 10 may be removed
either manually or automatically as the case may be.
[0027] While the present invention has been described with respect
to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art will
appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom. It is
intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and
variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of this present
invention.
* * * * *