EP0452052A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Packaged thinly sliced meats and the like and method for the packaging
Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corp
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Filing: 1991-04-05
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-04-05
Abstract
Abstract A package, packaged food product and method are provided for packaging thinly sliced proteinaceous products such as sliced luncheon meats, cheeses and the like in a manner such that the thinly sliced products are supported by the packaging in a manner that resists shifting of the thinly sliced products within the package. The package (21;21′) has a generally wedge-shaped cavity (25;25′) into which a doubled-over shingled stack of the slices (26;26′) are sealed. Preferably, the package includes a semi-rigid panel (23;23′) and a flexible panel (22;22′), at least one of which is generally transparent for displaying a substantial portion of the surface of at least one (34;34′) of the thin slices.
Inventors
- 👤 Brian P. Lawless
- 👤 Heidi A. Schmidt
- 👤 Gary G. Winchester
- 👤 Kenneth E. Woode
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 13:46
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D75/00; B65D75/28; B65D75/30; B65D75/32; B65D75/325; B65D75/326; B65D2575/00; B65D2575/28; B65D2575/30; B65D2575/32; B65D2575/3209; B65D2575/3218; B65D2575/3245
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
177 words
A package for hermetically sealing thinly sliced proteinaceous products between generally opposing panels, comprising: a semi-rigid panel member having a generally wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity and a peripheral flange area which peripherally defines an access opening of said generally wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity; a flexible panel member overlying said access opening of the generally wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity in order to thereby close said cavity and enclose any products contained within said cavity; means for sealing said flexible panel member to said peripheral flange of the semi-rigid panel member; and said cavity defined by the semi-rigid panel and by the flexible panel member as joined together by said sealing means has an enclosure configuration suitable for enclosing a shingled stack of thinly sliced proteinaceous products, which stack is folded over on itself to define a generally doubled-over stack having a generally wedge-shaped configuration, and said generally wedge-shaped configuration of the cavity is substantially complementary in shape, is somewhat larger in size, and is suitable for closely supporting the generally doubled-over shingled stack of thinly sliced proteinaceous products.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
47 words
A package according to claim 1, wherein said generally wedge-shaped bubble cavity of the semi-rigid panel member has a surface generally opposite to said flexible panel member, and said generally opposite surface has a substantial portion thereof which is inclined with respect to said flexible panel member.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
50 words
A package according to claim 2, wherein said generally opposite surface further includes a generally U-shaped surface below said inclined portion thereof, whereby said generally U-shaped surface and at least a bottom portion of said flexible panel member define a bulbous bottom portion of said generally wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
A package according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said sealing means provides a hermetic joining together of the panels which is peelable upon the application of digital forces between about 1-0 and about 7-5 pounds/inch (between about 17-9 and about 134-3 kg/m).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
59 words
A package according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said generally wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity has a generally bulbous bottom below a tapered wall section, said bulbous bottom portion having a front-to-back thickness which provides a deepest portion of the cavity suitable for substantially closely surrounding a generally doubled-over shingled stack of thinly sliced proteinaceous products.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
66 words
A package according to claim 5, wherein said bulbous bottom portion is generally U-shaped in cross-section, wherein one portion of said generally U-shaped portion is enclosed by a bottom section of-said flexible panel member, and wherein said bottom section of the flexible panel member is suitable for engaging a substantial portion of a front face of a generally doubled-over shingled stack of thinly sliced proteinaceous products.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
44 words
A package according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein said tapered wall section of the wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity is suitable for engaging a rear face portion of an upper, shingled portion of a generally double-over shingled stack of thinly sliced proteinaceous products.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
A package according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said flexible panel member is generally transparent and said semi-rigid panel member is substantially non-transparent.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
A package according to anyone of claims 1 to 7, wherein said flexible panel member is generally non-transparent and wherein said semi-rigid member is generally transparent.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
78 words
A package according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said flexible panel member is a non-shapable multi-layered panel of a polyester outside layer, a sealant film inside layer, and a gas-barrier layer therebetween; and wherein said semi-rigid panel member is a shapable multi-layered panel of a tough polymer web outside layer, a sealant film inside layer and multiple layers therebetween, said multiple layers therebetween including a gas-barrier layer, a coloration layer, and a forming layer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
A package according to claim 10, wherein said coloration layer includes a metallized component.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
93 words
A packaged food product comprising a package according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a stack of thinly sliced proteinaceous products is hermetically sealed within said generally wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity, said stack being a shingled stack folded up onto itself into a generally doubled-over configuration of shingled thinly sliced proteinaceous products; and said generally wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity is substantially complementary in shape, is somewhat larger in size and engages both a front face and a rear portion of said doubled over shingled stack of thinly sliced proteinaceous products.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
53 words
A packaged food product according to claim 12, wherein said generally doubled-over shingled stack of thinly sliced proteinaceous products has a maximum doubled-over thickness which is generally equal to a maximum front-to-back thickness of the generally wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity, said maximum front-to-back thickness being at a lower portion of said bubble cavity.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
43 words
A packaged food product according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein said thinly sliced proteinaceous products are luncheon meat slices having a thickness of between about 22 and about 36 slices per inch (between about 8 and about 15 slices per centimetre).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
A packaged food product according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein said generally wedge-shaped cavity is gas flushed and hermetically sealed.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
147 words
A method for packaging thinly sliced proteinaceous products within a semi-rigid package, comprising: forming a semi-rigid panel member having a generally wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity and a peripheral flange area which defines an access opening of said generally wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity; stacking a plurality of thinly sliced proteinaceous products one on top of another and offsetting said slices with respect to each other so as to form a shingled stack of the thinly sliced proteinaceous products; folding the shingled stack generally onto itself in order to provide a doubled-over shingled stack; depositing the doubled-over shingled stack within said bubble cavity of the semi-rigid panel member; overlying a flexible panel member over the access opening in order to thereby enclose the doubled-over shingled stack between the flexible panel member and the generally wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity; and sealing the flexible panel member to the semi-rigid panel member.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method according to claim 16, wherein said folding step folds the shingled stack at a location at which a generally shingled front portion of the doubled-over shingled stack projects beyond a back portion of the doubled-over shingled stack.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method according to claim 16, wherein said folding step folds the shingled stack at a location at which a generally shingled back portion of the doubled-over shingled stack projects beyond a front portion of the doubled-over shingled stack.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
71 words
A method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein said depositing and overlying steps effect engagement between the back portion of the doubled-over shingled stack and a lower portion of the generally wedge-shaped cavity and also effect engagement between a front portion of the doubled-over shingled stack and a portion of the flexible panel member, thereby to substantially prevent shifting of the doubled-over shingled stack within the cavity.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
51 words
A method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein said stacking step includes selecting luncheon meat slices as the thinly sliced proteinaceous products and selecting slices having a thickness of between about 22 and about 36 slices per inch (between about 8 and about 15 slices per centimetre).
Claim 21
Independent Claim
21 words
A method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, further including gas flushing the generally wedge-shaped enclosure bubble cavity.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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