Patent Application
20080118609
The present invention relates to a package for a product and, more particularly, to a reclosable package used for packaging and/or storing a product.
Reclosable packages are commonly used for packaging or storing various products. Such packages may be used, for example, to package a product for sale to consumers or to store products at one's home or business. Reclosable packages may be used for sale or storage of food products. Reclosable packages may also be used for the sale or storage of non-food products such as mechanical fastening hardware, including screws, bolts, washers and nuts. Such packages may include a base or tray and a cover or lid that can be repeatedly opened and closed on the base.
Disposable food packages are commonly used for packaging various food products, such as meat and dairy products, for sale in supermarkets and other retail food outlets. Some food packages may include a rigid or semi-rigid tray that holds the food product and a cover or film that is placed over the tray and food product. Other food packages may include a flexible bag that is provided with a resealable closure device.
In one approach to packaging a food product, the tray is overwrapped with a sealing film by packers in the retail food market. Such packaging typically provides a limited product life as the package may not provide an airtight seal. This approach also involves additional labor at the retail outlet.
In another approach, a food product may be provided by wholesalers in case-ready packaging. The food product may be provided in a hermetically sealed package with an inert gas sealed within the package to help prevent spoilage of the food product. In this regard, the sealed package may provide a product life for the food product that is relatively longer than if the food product was not packaged in such a manner. The sealed package is ready for sale when it is delivered to the retail outlet.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a reclosable package for packaging food and/or non-food products.
In one illustrative embodiment of the invention, a package is provided for packaging for a product. The package comprises a tray including an upper peripherally extending surface, a cavity to receive the product therein, and a sealing flange that is to be used to form a first seal about the cavity. The sealing flange surrounds the cavity and is located below the upper surface within an interior region of the tray. The package further comprises a reclosable lid that is constructed and arranged to lock to an interior portion of the tray below the upper surface to cover the sealing flange and the cavity.
In another illustrative embodiment of the invention, a food package comprises a tray including a cavity and a sealing flange that extends about the perimeter of the cavity within an interior region of the tray. The cavity is adapted to receive a food product therein. The sealing flange is to form a primary seal that helps to maintain longer term preservation of the food product within the cavity. The food package further comprises a reclosable lid to cover the cavity and the sealing flange. The lid is constructed and arranged to engage with an interior portion of the tray to form a secondary seal about the cavity that helps to maintain shorter term preservation of the food product after the primary seal has been broken.
In a further illustrative embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for packaging a product. The method comprises acts of: (a) providing a tray that includes a cavity adapted to receive the product therein; (b) introducing the product into the cavity; (c) sealing the cavity along a first seal located about the cavity and within an interior region of the tray; and (d) covering the cavity and the first seal with a reclosable lid that engages an interior portion of the tray external to the cavity to removably secure the lid to the tray
Various embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention is directed to a package for packaging various food and non-food products. The package may include a tray or base that is configured to receive the product, and a lid or cover that is securable to the tray to help protect the product within the tray. The lid may be reclosable so that a user or consumer may repeatedly open and close the package while the user or consumer is using or storing the product.
The package may have particular applications as a food package for protecting and preserving various food products including, but not limited to, meat and dairy products. When used for a food product, the package may be configured to maintain freshness of the food product over a period of time.
The tray may be provided with a preformed cavity that is adapted to receive the product therein. The cavity may be configured to have any desired shape that would be suitable for the particular product being packaged.
In some aspects, the cavity may be sealed with a first or primary seal that helps to maintain the integrity of the product. When used for packaging a food product, the primary seal helps to maintain longer-term preservation of the food product within the cavity. The primary seal may also help to prevent undetectable access to the cavity and the product stored therein. In this regard, the primary seal may help deter tampering or theft of the product stored in the package. In one embodiment, the primary seal may be formed with a sealing flange that surrounds the cavity. The sealing flange may be located below the upper surface or flange of the tray and within the interior region of the tray.
In some aspects, the lid may be configured to engage with or lock to an interior portion of the tray to cover the cavity and sealing flange. In one embodiment, the lid engages an interior portion of the tray below its upper surface or flange. The package may include at least one interlock for releasably securing the lid to the tray. The interlock may be located external to the cavity and within the interior region of the tray below its upper surface. The interlock may include a snap-fit configuration that generates an audible sound that signals to the user or consumer when the lid is secured to and/or removed from the tray. The tray may include one or more tray interlocks and the lid may include one or more lid interlocks that are configured to mate with each other to releasably secure the lid to the tray. A plurality of interlocks may be spaced intermittently about the cavity. It is to be appreciated that interlocks are not required for each embodiment of the package.
In some aspects, the package may include a removable sealing layer that is configured to overlie the cavity and to be sealed to the sealing flange to form a hermetically sealed cavity. Use of a sealing layer may have particular applications for packaging a food product. In one embodiment, the sealing layer may be fabricated from a flexible plastic film that is capable of being heat sealed to the sealing flange. The sealing layer may be readily peeled from the tray by the user or consumer to access the product in the tray cavity. However, it is to be appreciated that a sealing layer is not required for each embodiment of the package.
In some aspects, the package may be provided with a secondary seal that helps to stabilize or maintain the integrity of the package. When used for packaging a food product, the secondary seal may help to maintain shorter-term preservation of the food product within the cavity after the primary seal has been disturbed or broken by reducing the flow of air and/or moisture to and from the cavity. In this manner, the product life cycle of the food product may be extended for a period of time while a consumer is using the product.
In one embodiment, the package may employ an interference fit between the lid and the tray that forms the secondary seal when the lid is secured to the tray. The secondary seal may be established using a tongue and groove-like arrangement between the tray and lid that helps to seal and stabilize the package. However, it is to be appreciated that a secondary seal is not required for each embodiment of the package.
In some aspects, the package may include one or more tabs on the tray and/or lid to facilitate separation of the lid from the tray. In one embodiment, the tray and the lid include offset tabs that allow a consumer to more easily pull and separate the lid from the tray. It is to be understood, however, that separation tabs are not required for each embodiment of the package.
In some aspects, the package may be configured so that it can be hung for display or storage. In one embodiment, the package may include one or more apertures through the tray and/or lid so that the package may be hung for display at the point of purchase. However, it is to be appreciated that a feature for hanging the package is not required for each embodiment of the package.
The tray and lid may be fabricated as rigid or semi-rigid structures depending upon the particular application for the package. The tray and/or lid may be configured to have any suitable shapes desired for the particular product being packaged. The package may be produced using a preformed tray and lid on tray sealing type equipment or by forming the tray and lid on thermoform-fill-seal equipment.
For ease of understanding, and without limiting the scope of the invention, the package is described below as having particular applications for packaging a food product. It is to be understood, however, that any one or combination of the various features of the package described below may be incorporated into a package having applications that involve packaging or storing non-food products.
In one illustrative embodiment shown in
To help maintain the integrity of the product, the package 10 may be provided with a first or primary seal 17. When used for packaging and preserving a food product, the primary seal helps to prevent spoilage of the food product and maintain its freshness for a period of time that is relatively longer than if the food product was not packaged in such a manner. The primary seal may also help to prevent undetectable access to the cavity and the product stored therein. In this regard, the primary seal may help deter tampering with or theft of a product stored in the package.
In one illustrative embodiment shown in
For applications involving the packaging a food product, it may be desirable to hermetically seal the cavity to help preserve the food product in the cavity. In one illustrative embodiment as shown in
The sealing layer 22 may be configured to be readily removed from the tray 12. In one illustrative embodiment, the sealing layer 22 may be configured to be peeled from the tray. As shown in
For some applications, it may be desirable to seal the cavity 16, either hermetically or non-hermetically, without the use of a separate sealing layer. For example, it may be desirable to seal the cavity in a manner that restricts easy or undetectable access to the cavity, for example, to deter tampering with and/or theft of a product. In one illustrative embodiment, the package may be configured so that the lid 14 is sealed directly against the sealing flange 18 to form a sealed cavity that cannot be accessed without breaking the seal.
As illustrated, the lid 14 is configured to cover the cavity 16 and the sealing flange 18 when it is secured to the tray 12. In one illustrative embodiment shown in
The package 10 may include one or more interlocks that are configured to releasably secure the lid to the tray. Each interlock may be located external to the cavity at the interior portion of the tray engaged by the lid. In one illustrative embodiment shown in
In one illustrative embodiment best shown in
In some applications, it may be desirable to provide the package with a secondary seal. When used to package a food product, the secondary seal may help to maintain shorter-term preservation of the food product after the primary seal has been compromised or broken. The secondary seal may be configured to inhibit or reduce the passage or flow of air and/or moisture to and from the closed package to help preserve the freshness of the food product.
In one illustrative embodiment shown in
The secondary seal 30 may be formed by an interference fit between the tray 12 and the lid 14 when the lid is secured to the tray. In the illustrative embodiment, the tray 12 is provided with a U-shaped channel or groove 32 that surrounds the sealing flange 18 and the lid 14 is provided with a complimentary U-shaped projection or tongue 34 that is configured to closely conform to and mate with the channel 32 to form the secondary seal. It is to be understood that the secondary seal, if desired, may be formed with any suitable configuration as would be apparent to one of skill in the art.
While the secondary seal 30 may reduce the flow of air and/or moisture to and from the cavity to help preserve the freshness of a food product, the seal may also help stabilize the package. In this regard, the illustrative interference fit may also enhance the structural integrity or rigidity of the package when the lid is secured to the tray.
The package 10 may be provided with one or more features to facilitate separation of the lid from the tray. In one illustrative embodiment shown in
The package 10 may be configured so that it can be hung for storage or display at the point of purchase. In one illustrative embodiment shown in
The tray 12 and lid 14 may be fabricated as rigid or semi-rigid structures depending upon the particular application of the package. In this regard, the tray and lid may be fabricated from a rigid or semi-rigid plastic material including, but not limited to, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET), or high impact polystyrene. The tray and lid may be fabricated as a single layer structure or a multi-layer structure using any suitable manufacturing processes including, but not limited to, thermoforming or injection molding. The tray and/or lid may be fabricated from a transparent material to allow visual inspection of the product, although a colored material may be used for the tray and/or the lid, if desired. It is to be understood, however, that the tray and/or lid may be fabricated using any suitable fabrication process and from any material suitable for the particular application as would be apparent to one of skill in the art.
The sealing layer 22, if used, may be fabricated using a flexible film material that may provide desirable various properties, such as strength, sealability and non-permeability, depending on the particular application of the package. In this regard, the sealing layer 22 may be fabricated from metallocene, polyethylene, metallocene polyethylene, or an ionomer thermoplastic such as SURLYN, available from DuPont. It is to be appreciated, however, that the sealing layer may be fabricated using any suitable fabrication process and from any material suitable for the particular application as would be apparent to one of skill in the art. The tray and/or lid may be configured to have any suitable shapes desired for the particular product being packaged or stored. In one illustrative embodiment shown in
The package may be produced using preformed trays and lids on conventional tray sealing type equipment or on thermoform-fill-seal equipment. In one illustrative embodiment, a product may be introduced into the cavity 16 of the tray 12. The cavity 16 may then be sealed along a sealing flange 18 located about the cavity and within an interior region of the tray. The cavity 16 and the sealing flange 18 may be covered with a reclosable lid 14 that engages an interior portion of the tray external to the cavity.
In one embodiment, the cavity 16 may be hermetically sealed to prevent passage of gas and/or moisture to and from the cavity. This may be accomplished by covering the cavity 16 with a removable sealing layer 22 and hermetically sealing the sealing layer to the sealing flange 18 located within the interior region of the tray to form the seal.
In one embodiment for packaging a food product, the atmosphere of the cavity 16 may be modified prior to hermetically sealing the cavity. This may be accomplished using a sealing station (not shown) that is capable of evacuating the normal atmosphere surrounding the tray using a vacuum. In this regard, the tray 12 be located in a sealing chamber that includes a tray sealing system. An inert gas may then be injected into the chamber to equalize the pressure between the chamber and the atmosphere outside the chamber. The cavity 16 is then sealed with the sealing layer 22 to thereby seal the inert gas within the sealed cavity so as to help preserve the food product sealed within the cavity. It is to be appreciated that modification of the atmosphere may be accomplished using any suitable process as would be apparent to one of skill in the art.
It should be understood that the foregoing description of various embodiments of the invention are intended merely to be illustrative thereof and that other embodiments, modifications, and equivalents of the invention are within the scope of the invention recited in the claims appended hereto.
