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US3916030A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Heat-and-serve packages for meat products

Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corp
•
Filing: 1972-07-31
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Granted: 1975-10-28
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Expires: 1992-07-31
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Abstract

Abstract Heat-and-serve packages of pre-fried meat products (e.g. sliced bacon, sausage patties, or link sausages) comprising a disposable, heatable tray formed with foldable sides from sheet material capable of retaining melted fat or greasy liquid. The packages are encased in envelopes of snugly drawn film having suitable barrier properties with respect to grease, air and moisture. One pair of opposing sides of each tray are folded downwardly and inwardly over the margins of the generally flat meat contents while the other pair of opposing foldable sides extend outwardly as extensions of the tray bottom. A loaded tray is doubled on itself with the pair of sides which extend outwardly in superposed engagement and retained compact and in engagement by the snugness of outer disposable envelope of disposable film. Preferably, the package is evacuated and hermetically sealed and the corners at the superposed pair of outwardly extending sides are beveled. In use, the outer film or envelope is removed, the tray unfolded and the four sides are folded or erected upwardly.

Inventors

  • 👤 John C Bard
  • 👤 Oscar E Seiferth

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-25 17:33
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D81/00; B65D81/34; B65D81/343; B65D75/00; B65D75/38; B65D2581/00; B65D2581/34; B65D2581/3401; B65D2581/3402; B65D2581/3416; Y; Y02; Y02W; Y02W30/00; Y02W30/50; Y02W30/80; Y10; Y10S; Y10S229/00; Y10S229/902; Y10S229/903

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim 239 words
A COMPACT GENERALLY FLAT HEAT-AND-SERVE PACKAGE OF MEAT PRODUCT COMPRISING A DISPOSABLE OVEN-HEATABLE TRAY FORMED WITH TWO OPPOSING PAIRS OF INTERCONNECTED FOLDABLE SIDES FROM SHEET MATERIAL CAPABLE OF RETAINING MELTED FAT AND GREASY LIQUID, A DEOSIT OF MEAT PRODUCT FROM WHICH FAT OR GREASY LIQUID RENDERS ON HEATING LAID GENERALLY FLATWISE OVER THE BOTTON OF SAID TRAY WITH ONE PAIR OF OPPOSING SIDES THEREOF FOLDED INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY ON THE ADJACENT MRGINS OF SAID DEPOSIT AND WITH THE OTHER PAIR OF OPPOSING SIDES THEREOF EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AND UNFOLDED FROM THE ADJACENT MARGINS OF SAID DEPOSIT, SAID TRAY AND CONTENTS BEING FOLDED OR DOUBLED OVER ON ITSELF SO THAT SAID PAIR OF OUTWARDLY EXTENDING UNFOLDED SIDES OVERLIE EACH OTHER IN SUPERPOSED RELATIONSHIP, AND AN ENVELOPE OF DISPOSABLE FILM HAVING AIR, MOISTURE AND GREASE BARRIER OF PROPERTIES SNUGLY ENCLOSING SAID FOLDED TRAY AND ITS CONTENTS SO AS TO RETAIN IT IN A COMPACT GENERALLY FLAT CONDITION WITH SAID PAIR OF OUTWARDLY EXTENDING UNFOLDED SIDES IN SUPERPOSED ENGAGEMENTS, SAID FOLDABLE SIDES BEING ERECTABLE ON REMOVAL OF SAID FILM AND UN-DOUBLING OF SAID TRAY TO FORM A CONTINUOUS UPSTANDING SIDEWALL TRAY BOTTOM, AND THE ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID INTERCONNECTED FOLDABLE SIDES BEING INTERCONNECTED BY FOLDABLE CORNER FORMATIONS WHICH IN FOLDED FLATTENED CONDITION AND WITH SAID ONE PAIR OF OPPOSING SIDES FOLDED INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY ON THE ADJACENT MARGINS OF SAID DEPOSIT PROVIDE SAID OPPOSING PAIR OF UNFOLDED OUTWARDLY EXTENDING SIDES WITH BEVELED CORNERS.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 239 words
A COMPACT GENERALLY FLAT HEAT-AND-SERVE PACKAGE OF MEAT PRODUCT COMPRISING A DISPOSABLE OVEN-HEATABLE TRAY FORMED WITH TWO OPPOSING PAIRS OF INTERCONNECTED FOLDABLE SIDES FROM SHEET MATERIAL CAPABLE OF RETAINING MELTED FAT AND GREASY LIQUID, A DEOSIT OF MEAT PRODUCT FROM WHICH FAT OR GREASY LIQUID RENDERS ON HEATING LAID GENERALLY FLATWISE OVER THE BOTTON OF SAID TRAY WITH ONE PAIR OF OPPOSING SIDES THEREOF FOLDED INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY ON THE ADJACENT MRGINS OF SAID DEPOSIT AND WITH THE OTHER PAIR OF OPPOSING SIDES THEREOF EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AND UNFOLDED FROM THE ADJACENT MARGINS OF SAID DEPOSIT, SAID TRAY AND CONTENTS BEING FOLDED OR DOUBLED OVER ON ITSELF SO THAT SAID PAIR OF OUTWARDLY EXTENDING UNFOLDED SIDES OVERLIE EACH OTHER IN SUPERPOSED RELATIONSHIP, AND AN ENVELOPE OF DISPOSABLE FILM HAVING AIR, MOISTURE AND GREASE BARRIER OF PROPERTIES SNUGLY ENCLOSING SAID FOLDED TRAY AND ITS CONTENTS SO AS TO RETAIN IT IN A COMPACT GENERALLY FLAT CONDITION WITH SAID PAIR OF OUTWARDLY EXTENDING UNFOLDED SIDES IN SUPERPOSED ENGAGEMENTS, SAID FOLDABLE SIDES BEING ERECTABLE ON REMOVAL OF SAID FILM AND UN-DOUBLING OF SAID TRAY TO FORM A CONTINUOUS UPSTANDING SIDEWALL TRAY BOTTOM, AND THE ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID INTERCONNECTED FOLDABLE SIDES BEING INTERCONNECTED BY FOLDABLE CORNER FORMATIONS WHICH IN FOLDED FLATTENED CONDITION AND WITH SAID ONE PAIR OF OPPOSING SIDES FOLDED INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY ON THE ADJACENT MARGINS OF SAID DEPOSIT PROVIDE SAID OPPOSING PAIR OF UNFOLDED OUTWARDLY EXTENDING SIDES WITH BEVELED CORNERS.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 55 words
The heat-and-serve package of claim 1 wherein at each of said beveled corners there is one set of three thicknesses of said tray sheet material with two of said thicknesses being adhered together with one adhering surface being the inner surface and the other adhering surface being the outer surface of said tray sheet material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 47 words
The heat-and-serve package of claim 1 wherein at each of said beveled corners there is one set of four thicknesses of said tray sheet material with two of said thicknesses being adhered together with both adhering surfaces being of the outer surface of said tray sheet material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 17 words
The heat-and-serve package of claim 1 wherein the angles at said beveled corners equal approximately 135* each.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 25 words
The heat-and-serve package of claim 1 wherein said meat product is selected from the group consisting of pre-fried sliced bacon, sausage patties and sausages links.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 14 words
The heat-and-serve package of claim 1 wherein said package is evacuated and hermetically sealed.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 18 words
The heat-and-serve package of claim 1 wherein said disposable film envelope comprises saran applied in the supercooled condition.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 26 words
The heat-and-serve package of claim 1 wherein said tray sheet material is laminated from an outer ply of paperboard and an inner ply of aluminum foil.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US1422540A Cited
US1993323A Cited
US2596514A Cited
US2911306A Cited
US3236434A Cited
US3276662A Cited
US3619215A Cited
US3704824A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1978-10-27 1979-04-28 1979-10-28 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1982-10-27 1983-04-28 1983-10-28 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1986-10-27 1987-04-28 1987-10-28 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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