CA1089700A - Self-sustaining stick of shirred casing - Google Patents
Self-sustaining stick of shirred casingInfo
- Publication number
- CA1089700A CA1089700A CA308,262A CA308262A CA1089700A CA 1089700 A CA1089700 A CA 1089700A CA 308262 A CA308262 A CA 308262A CA 1089700 A CA1089700 A CA 1089700A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- casing
- shirred
- sheathing material
- length
- compressed
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
- A22C—PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH
- A22C13/00—Sausage casings
- A22C13/02—Shirring of sausage casings
- A22C13/023—Holders or packs of shirred casings
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B53/00—Shrinking wrappers, containers, or container covers during or after packaging
- B65B53/02—Shrinking wrappers, containers, or container covers during or after packaging by heat
- B65B53/06—Shrinking wrappers, containers, or container covers during or after packaging by heat supplied by gases, e.g. hot-air jets
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
- B65D75/002—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers in shrink films
Abstract
, ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A self-sustaining length of shirred tubular casing snugly enclosed within a heat-shrunk, preferably perforated, tubular sheathing material having one end tucked into one end of the casing bore so as to adapt said casing end for sliding onto a stuffing horn and a second end extending as a tubular conduit away from the other end of the casing through which the deshirred casing can be dispensed for stuffing.
A self-sustaining length of shirred tubular casing snugly enclosed within a heat-shrunk, preferably perforated, tubular sheathing material having one end tucked into one end of the casing bore so as to adapt said casing end for sliding onto a stuffing horn and a second end extending as a tubular conduit away from the other end of the casing through which the deshirred casing can be dispensed for stuffing.
Description
~089700 11438 Field of the Invention The invention relates to a shirred tubular casing, retained within a tubular heat-shrunk, preferably perforated, sheathing material which has one extended end tucked into one end of the bore of the cas.ing and a second tubular extended end axially projecting away from the other end of the bore of the casingj and a method for preparing the same. The perforated sheathing material protects the shirred~casing from breakage and/or premature deshirring throughout the handling and the water saaking steps which usually precede the stuffing of the shirred:
casing.
.
2ackground of the Invention Tubular celluIosic food casings of intermediate and large size, either reinforce:d with fibrous web . .
material or notl are produced in circumference sizes : generally ranging from about 5 inches to about lS inches.
: These tubular-casings have a walI thickness &reater than that of the small-diameter tubular casings which are used 20~ in the~producti~n of sausages such as frankfurters, and which~generally have a circumerence:within the range of ~`
from ab.:out 1 3/.4 inches to about 4 3/4 inches. When shi:r.r~ed,~using~methods:and apparatus.well known in the art ~` as for example,~disclo$-ed in U. S. Patent Nos. 2,983,949 : and 2,9&4,574 to Mtteckij the pl;eats formed in the~thicker walls of larger size~tubular:casings usually cannot be : compacted~as much as those in the thinner walls of small-diameter: casings. As a result, the sticks of shirred and.compressed casing usually do not retain their inte.grity, and tend to break and deshirr. In order to overcome this
casing.
.
2ackground of the Invention Tubular celluIosic food casings of intermediate and large size, either reinforce:d with fibrous web . .
material or notl are produced in circumference sizes : generally ranging from about 5 inches to about lS inches.
: These tubular-casings have a walI thickness &reater than that of the small-diameter tubular casings which are used 20~ in the~producti~n of sausages such as frankfurters, and which~generally have a circumerence:within the range of ~`
from ab.:out 1 3/.4 inches to about 4 3/4 inches. When shi:r.r~ed,~using~methods:and apparatus.well known in the art ~` as for example,~disclo$-ed in U. S. Patent Nos. 2,983,949 : and 2,9&4,574 to Mtteckij the pl;eats formed in the~thicker walls of larger size~tubular:casings usually cannot be : compacted~as much as those in the thinner walls of small-diameter: casings. As a result, the sticks of shirred and.compressed casing usually do not retain their inte.grity, and tend to break and deshirr. In order to overcome this
-2- ~ ~
10897~0 disadvantage, the shirred sticks of larger sized tubular - casings are conventionally provided with a support core, preferably in the form of a tube of plastic material, inserted into the bore of the stick immediately after com-pressing the shirred stick, with deshirring or premature separation of the compressed pleated casing being prevented by a pin or peg extending transversely through the walls of the support tube at both extremities thereof restraining .the stick endwise.
This core and peg arrangement is relatively expensive. Moreover, before the meat-stuffing operation, the shirred casing sticks must be immersed and soaked in water to impart to the wall of the casing the ~lexibility necessary for such operation, and the core and restraining pegs do not permit ready soaking of the inside wall of the compressed sticks. Furthermore, for the stuffing operation the:core tube and peg arrangement does nat permit ready placement on a stuffing horn without additional time-consuming manipuIation by-the stuffer operator.
U. S. Patent 3,~528,825 to Doughty discloses a wrapped shirred casing comprising an outer covering of non-shirred casing shrunk snugly about a shirred casing to reduce longitudinaI expansion of the shirred casing during hand-ling, processing and storage.
U. S. Patent 3,639,130 to Eichin discloses a shirred casing stick completely lined with a perforated flexible material adapted to protect the shirred casing rrom breakage and/or premature deshirring throughout the handling and the water soaking steps which precede the stuffing of such~sticks.
11,438 Canadian Patent 988,466 to Wilmsen discloses a compressed shirred casing enclosed in a perforated sie~ve extending over only the external surface of the casing and closed at the opposite ends of the compressed shirred casing.
U. S. Patent 4,033,3~2 to Eichin discloses a self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed tubular casing having a heat-shrinkable perforated sheathing material closely drawn and tensioned about the periphery of the casing, and down about at least a portion of the terminal pleats at each end so as to provide an integral reinforced aperture at each end thereof aligned with the bore through the shirred casing.
However, there is still the demand for a method of retaining shirred casing stieks and preventing a pre-mature deshirring thereof that is- simple and economical to use, which perm:its the shirred casing stick to be readily moisturized without undue maniuplation and danger o premature deshirring, allows for correct placement of 20' the shirred casing stick on a stuffing horn, and permits stuffing while the shirred portion of the casing is still enclosed within the sheathing material.
- It is an object of the present invention to provide a shirred casing with a novel sheathing materiaI, preferabIy perforated, for maintaining the integrity of the casing throughout the ~operations which precede the stuffing of said casing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a shirred casing with a sheathing material, preferably perforated, which can remain on the casing 10897~ 11 ,438 when it is positioned on the stuffing horn of a conven-tional stuffing apparatus thereby maintaining the shirred casing in a firm, compacted form during~the stuffing operation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a sheathing material, preferably perforated, for shirred casing which has an extended end infolded into one end of the bore of the casing so as to facili-~ tate mounting of the casing on the stuffing horn without : . 10 tamaging the casing.
It is another object of the present invention to:provide a shirred casing with a sheathing material, preferably perforated, which is. arranged so as to indicate the preferre~ tirection of stuffing for the casing.
It is another abject of the present invention to provide perforated.-encasement means for a shirret cas.ing which will ¢ontrol the longitudinal growth ;~ during the humidifying process of the casing.
.~ 20: Qther ant atditional objects of the invention wilI be.come apparent from the specification, tescription ant ac¢ompanying drawings.
SummarY of the Invention The inven:tion basically relates to a self-sustaining length of shirred and compresset casing comprising:
a) a stick of;shLrred and compressed casing having a bore extending therethrough; and b) a.heat-shrinkable tubular sheathing material, preferably per~oraLed, shrunk snugly around the periphery of said casing; said heat-shrunk tubular sheat.hing material 1 089 7~ 0 11,438 having an axially extended first end tucked into one end of the bore of the casing so as to adapt said casing end for sliding onto a stuffing horn and an axially exten~ed tubular second end projecting away from the other end of the bore of the casing to provide a tubular conduit through which the casing can be deshirred and dispensed for stuf~ing.
PreferabIy a small segment of the casing should be deshirred and maintained within the tubular conduit so as to be available for easy grasping:by an operator of a stuffing apparatus.
The i:nvention also relates tO a method of preparing a self:-sustained length of shirred and compressed casing comprising.the steps:
a) providing and supporting a stick of shirred and compressed tubular casing hauing'a substantially straight.bo:re extend:ing therethrough about a mandrel;
b) providing a l.ength of~heat-shrinkable sheathing mater;ial, p.referably perforated, and~arranging said sheathing ~at:erial about th'e periphery of said supported::shir~re:d:casing s:t~ick with the ends thereo~
ex~tending-beyond the ends of~'the said shirred casing and:
disposed about said mandrel;
c): s~hrinking.:said sheathing.material to closely draw sai:d~sheathlng~material about the periphery of said shi'rred'casing~an:d~dr-àw~the~sheathing extended~ends about the supp.ort mandrel to form tubular extensions about the mandre~ said:tub~ular extensions having a~diameter smaller then the~external diameter of the shirred:casing;
d) removing the mandrel supp,~rt from the sheathed enc.loset shirred casing; and:
.
1089700 11,438 e) inturning the tubular extension at one end of the sheathing material into one end.of the bore of the casing.
Another method of preparing a self-sustained length of shirred and compressed casing would comprise the-steps:
a) preparing a stick of shirred and compressed tubular casing having a substantially straight bore : extending therethrough;
b) providing a length of heat-shrinkable sheathing material, preferably perforated, and arranging said sheathing material about the periphery of said shirred cas-ing stick with the ends thereof extending beyond the ends- of the said shirred casing;
c) inturning ane end of the sheathing material into one end of the bore o the casing;
d) supporting the sheathed.enclased shirred casing on a mandrel;
e)~ shrinking said sheathing material to closely draw said sheathing material ab:out the periphery of said shirred casing and:draw the sheathing extended end.about `
the:support mandrel to form a tubular extension about the mandrel, said tubular extension having a diameter sma}ler then the external diameter of the shirred casing; and f) removing the mandrel support from the sheathed enc.losed shirred casing.
In both of the above methods, it is preferable to deshirr a.small segment from one end by an amount not longer than the length.that the sheathing material will extend beyond the ca`sing to form the tubular canduit.
This will result in producing a self-supporting encased 11,438 shirred casing having an initial deshirred portion of casing within the tubular conduit of the sheathing material.
Shirred casings which can be used in this invention are the synthetic casings which must be humidified in some way, preferably by soaking in a vat of warm water, to soften them before they can be used on a stuffing app:aratus. The shirred casings., when disposed in a humidifying medium, tend to increase in length as they absorb:water,. and if the shirred cas~ings are not : 10 res~trained in a~suitable manner, they will usually ~ increase in length by up to lOO~i. and greater as a result ;~ of the humidifying operation.
An~advantageous~ aspect- of this invention is that the shea~thing~material acts as a pleat retaining means for the shirred casing wh~ch can be left in pIace on:the c:as~ing during;:the humidifyiNg process, storage and ~the:~stuffing operat~ion. Thus the~growth of the shirred casing can~be~sel:ecti~ely controlled by the sheathing material during~the.~humi~difying process. It is es.sential 20~ to.~;~oarefully~control the growth of the casing during process~ing slnc:e if the growth:is allowed to proceed unras~trained~,: then::the:~casing may expand to a length whereby:~i:t may be too long~for the.h.orn of a stuffing apparatus in-w~ich.i:t is to be used. In the~other extreme, if the casing is~comp~}etely restricted from any longitu-,, .
; . dinal growth, then~the~casing may not absorb sufficient : . water-during~the humidifying operation since~w.ater would not~be able to pene:trate between the pleats. This could result in the casing being unus~able on the-stuffing apparatus.
:
~0897~0 11 ,438 To insure proper and sufficient humidi~ication of the casing, it is preferable that the sheathing material have a sufficient number of perforati~ns to allow access of the humidifying medium to the outer periphery of the shirred casing. Preferably, the heat-shrinkable sheathing material should have a plurality of slits arranged such that when it is pIaced on a shirred casing, the slits will be disposet parallel to the axis of the casing. Thus when the assembled casing is exposed to conventional heating means, the~sheath~will:shrink thereby expanding the slits to form diamond-shaped apertures.. The apertures wilI then alIow the humitifying medium, such as water, to pass through the sheathing material and contact the external surface of the shirred.casing while the humidifying medium can also enter the bore of the shirred casing and contact the.inter-nal surf:ace~of the shirred c.asing.. This wi.ll allow a more rapid~humidifying:r:ate~for the shirreq casing.
In the~pr.imary embodiment of this invention, the shea.thing~material:would be perforated with slits which would~be~disposed in rows:parallel to the axis of the e~as~ing.~ In addieion-:, the slits in each:row s:hould be ; ~ .
stagge-re:d to-provide~an ovérlapped relationship with the slits:in the~adjacent.rows~.. That is to say, each s:l:i.t in a row should bie longitudinally ext:ended so tha.t when it is pr.ojected,. along.:with at lèast~one adjacent slit in.an.
ad]ace~nt row, onto the longitudinal axis of:the casing, the.slit projection will overlap.s:aid at leiast one adjacent slit proj-ec.tion.of the adjacent row. The length:of the slits should b.e between ab:out 1 and 10 cm long, perferably about 7 cm long, and spaced apart from slits in adjacent _9_ 11,438 10897~0 rows by between about 1 and 10 cm, preferably about,3 cm.
The last slit in each row-should extend beyond the end of the casing in which the sheathing material extends outward in a tubular configuration by not more than the wall thickness of the shirred casing stick. Slits extending beyond this amount will distort the end of the casing during humidification to a degree that may distort the bore at the end of the casing, ~hus making said~casing end unusable for-use with automatic stuffing apparatus~. In addi,tion, slits extenting,beyond the amount specified above woult not efféctively~ restrain the casing during the humidifying proG:ess. At the opposite end o the casing, the last slit in each FOW could'extend up to about 50/0 of`the length of the~sheathing mat:erial inturnet into the bore of the. casing. This, is necessary so as. to provite a continuous ring~.of.the shea.thing~material inside the bore to selec-:
eiYely control casing~growth during humid:ification ant tofacili,tate.the mounting of the shirred casing on the stufing,horn.i , Altho.ugh.slits are preferred, the perforations may cons:ist of any~shaped configuration, such as circles, semi-circles or~any,shaped polygon, as long as they provite sufficient~ape;r~ture~s to &l`low the humidifying medium to r,apidly and effectively contac,t: the~external surface o the s.hirred casing. Preferably, the,apertures should be sub-stantially uniformly di;spos~ed in the sheathing material and prefcrably occupy~between about lO.ant 90 per cent of the area;of'the:peripheral sur$ace of the~shirr:ed casi..ng,.
,r ' , As~ stated ab~ve, the infolting of one end of the sheathing material into the bore of the casing will adapt 1089700 11,438 that end for easy mounting on a stuffing horn without damaging the casing. At the opposite end, the sheathing material extends from the end of the casing in a tubular configuration, through which the casing can be deshirred and fed out for stuffing. The end of the sheathing to be inturned into the bore of the casing should preferably extend within the bore by a length of between about l/2 and about 3, more preferably about 1, times the inner diameter (bore) of the casing. The shrunk diameter of the sheathing to be intur~ed within the casing bore should preferabIy be approximately equal to the bore of the shirred casing. The end of the sheathing to be extended to form a tubular conduit should preferably extend beyond the casing by a length of between about 1 and about 3, preferably abaut 1.5, times the inner diameter of the casing. The shrunk diam:eter of the extended tubular conduit of the sheathing should be no less than the diameter of the shirred casing bore and`no greater than the outer diameter ` of the shirred casing~minus 20 percent of the shirred casing wall thickness.
In some applications, it may be preferred to . . , deshirr the shirred casin~ sticks in a particular direction.
In order to ensure that the sticks will be stuffed in the correct direction, it is known-to provide directional arrows on the~side and/or top carton in which the shirred casings are packe~d. It is not necessary in the present invention to provide any directional indicia for proper mounting on a horn since the casing end with the inturned sheathing material is always placed and slid onto the horn o a stuffing apparatus first. Thus the operator of 11,438 - a stuffing apparatus can have no doub~ about the direction in which a shirred casing, according to this invention, is to be assembled onto the stuffing horn.
Shirred tubular food casings that may be employed in accordance with the practice of the invention are food casings, and preferably regenerated cellulosic food casings, prepared by any of the well known methods and including fibro~s food casing that has a fibrous web embedded in the wall thereof.
I0 Material constituting the sheathing material of the present invention may be prepared from any one of a wide variety of film forming polymers and copolymers well known in the art, as, for example, polyvinylidene chloride copolymers and terpolymers, polyvinylcholoride and co-polymers thereof, polyethylene (both high and low density and mixtures thereof) and other polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters, and the like. Especially preferred are sheathing materials prepared from heat-shrinkable plastic film or plastic film that exhibits some heat-shrinking characteristics. Suitable plastic film sheathing material may be translucent, opaque or transparent and may have a fiIm thickness between about .007 cm and .030 cm, or great~er, depending on the size of the shirred casing stick to be enveloped and length of tubular casing incorporated in said stick. Preferably, the sheathing material should be about .015 cm~thick ~or most applications.
In general, suitable sheathing material may be seamless or seamed tubing that may be ~repared as individual discrete lengths or cut from continuous lengths of tubing, or may be sheet material that is formed about the shirred 11,438 ~asing stick and then heat sealed or fused eo itself during shrinkage.
It can, in general, be stated that in using tubular sheathing material, the internal diameter prior to shrinking should be larger than the outer diameter of the casing, so that the casing can be inserted therein without difficul~y but should not be so large that the sheathing fails to grip the shirred casing stick snugly after the shrinking operation. Preferably, the diameter of the sheathing prior to shrinking should be at least about 10%
larger than the external diameter of the casing. The shrinking of the sheathing material about the shirred casing can be effected in any convenient manner.
IlIustrative embodiments of-the invention are shown in the drawings wherein:
Figure-I is an elevational view, partially in section, of an exemplary embodiment of a self-sustaining ~-~ length of shirred and compressed tubular casing encased in an outer perfQrated shrun~s~heathing material.
Figure 2 is an elevational.view, partially in section, of the encased casing of Figure 1, except that a portion of the casing is shown deshirred and extended ~ outside one end of the sheathing material.
- Figure 3 is an elevational view, partially in section, of a stepped mandrel with a shirred and compressed casing mounted on said mandrel, a tubular heat-shrinkable sheathing material arranged thereabout and heat means disposed about said sheathing material.
Figure 4 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the stepped mandrel mounted shirred and 11,438 .
compressed casing of Figure 3 with the,sheathing material shrunk about said casing.
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure l a stick of shirred and compressed tubular casing 2 having a bore 4 extending therethrough. The casing 2 is contained and restrained within a heat shrunk sheathing material 6, said sheathing material 6 having an end port.ion 8 inturned into one end 10 of the bo,re ~ of casing 2 while ::: the opposite end lZ of sheathing material 6 is extended in :lO a~t:ubular configuration away from the bore 4.of the casing.
, Dispo~sed in the sheathing.material 6.are a plurality of ;~ ~ : rows of diamond-shaped apertures~ 14, each row of apertures 14 being staggered so that each aperture 14 averlaps an ` : adiacent aper.ture. As: is apparent from Figure I, the ap.erture sheathet encas:ed casing can be ~apidly and com-: pletely~humi~dified by any conventional te-chnique, as, for e~yple,: by pl`acing the, encas-ed.~casing in a.vat of water.
~ for~a~:pe:ri~od~:of. Cime sufficient for the encased casing to 'Y ~ aba,orb~enough wat~er to allow the:casing, when stuffed, to 20~ con-form~to.the~recommende~d:o.tuffing~diameter~of the casing.
; The àp~ertur:es~I4 will alIow the water to contact and be a~bso~hed,by~the external, surface I~,~of the,casing 2 while.
water:c-an,enter the bore 4 of the~ casing 2 where it can coneaet.and be absorbed by the internal surface 18 of the : casing 2. The:inturned por.tion 8 of the sheathing material 6~;provides a compacted~:annulus member for the casing which : can be slid onto a horn of a stuffing apparatus without ' damaging the casing.
, Figure 2 shows the encased casing of Figure 1 having the same elements identified with the same reference .
.
.. .
, 11,438 ' ~089700 numbers with the addition, in that, a.portion 20 of the casing 2 is deshirred and projected from the tubular - portion 12 of sheathing material 6:. Preerably, a small ; portion of the casing 2 would be deshirred and maintained ~ within~the tubular portion 12 of the sheathing 6 so as to ; facilitate the further deshirring of the casing when the c:asing is placed on a stuffing horn. As is apparent from Fi~ure 2i, the deshi,rred casing 20 can be easily dispensed ~ ~ .
from the tubular sheathing conduit 12.and after the initial segment is appropriately tied or closed in any conventional manner, the casing will be ready for stuffi~ng.
A.typical method of preparing.the heat-shrunk, sheathed, shirr:et casing of the pre.sent invention, as, for example, the:sheathed.casing o,f Figures } ant 2, is illus-traced~in~Figur:es:-3'a-nd 4. Figure 3 shows a shirred and compres-sed.,tu~ulæ -casing 22~having:~a:bore 24 extending the:rethroagh~and being~mounted'~on a:stepped mandrel~26.
Although not show~-, the mandr~el:need not b~e s-tepped and cou1d~:b~-ohe~end of"a.~shir~ring.:mandrel that is~part of the shirring~app~aratus~o,r-it.~may:be~an auxiliary mandre.l to whic,-h the:casing.:::was mo*ed~a:fter completion of the-shirring a~d-,~compression opeDaeions. On:e end of'the casing,is deShirred~bx~a~l~ngth-~not,to:~exceed~the.length that a :sheathing~material will extend beyond the end,of the~casing to.~for~-~a~tubular conduit. A~sheet of heat-shrinkable she-~a~thing,materia:1.27'is then ass:e.mbled o~er the:casing 22 and'extended~beyond.:the~shirred casing 22 so as to be disposed over a:portion of the mandrel..26 at both ends of the casing and ov~er-said;:teshirred segment 25. of the casing 22':at the one~ent. The sheathing materiaI 27 is also shown ,..
: -15-11,438 ~0897~0 with rows of longitudinal slits 28 disposed substantially uniformly over its surface. The casing assembly 30 is then surrounded with "heat guns" 32 which deliver a blast of hot air ~ver the external surface of sheathing material 27 and which cause the sheathing material to shrink and draw down about the periphery of the casing 22, while simul-taneously the slits 28 expand to form diamond-shaped apertures.36 as is shown in Figure 4. This will cause the sheathing material 27 to.impart a restraining force on the casing that will control its expansion during subsequent processing. After the mandrel 26 is removed from the sheathed encased casing 34 shown in Figure 4, one end of the sheathing is inturned into the bore 24 of the casing .. . .
22 producing a self-sustaining encased shirred casing as is shown,in Figure,l:. The sheathed.casing of this ;~ :
invention can-be grasped~and carried without breaking or premature~ separation,,, and it has an,unrestricted bore that permits:ready~instal:lat:ion of the casing onto a stuffing : ho.rn~. The heat-shrunk perforated s.heathing will provide 20'~ ~: 'the following benef~its::
- I... I:t wi,l~ restrain the shirred,casing in its .
compres~sed:'state,and~protect it.from external contamination prior t-o stuffing:..
:~: 2. It will provide a means:for controlling . longitudinal:growth or~expansion of-the shirred casing , during the~humidifyin~ process.
10897~0 disadvantage, the shirred sticks of larger sized tubular - casings are conventionally provided with a support core, preferably in the form of a tube of plastic material, inserted into the bore of the stick immediately after com-pressing the shirred stick, with deshirring or premature separation of the compressed pleated casing being prevented by a pin or peg extending transversely through the walls of the support tube at both extremities thereof restraining .the stick endwise.
This core and peg arrangement is relatively expensive. Moreover, before the meat-stuffing operation, the shirred casing sticks must be immersed and soaked in water to impart to the wall of the casing the ~lexibility necessary for such operation, and the core and restraining pegs do not permit ready soaking of the inside wall of the compressed sticks. Furthermore, for the stuffing operation the:core tube and peg arrangement does nat permit ready placement on a stuffing horn without additional time-consuming manipuIation by-the stuffer operator.
U. S. Patent 3,~528,825 to Doughty discloses a wrapped shirred casing comprising an outer covering of non-shirred casing shrunk snugly about a shirred casing to reduce longitudinaI expansion of the shirred casing during hand-ling, processing and storage.
U. S. Patent 3,639,130 to Eichin discloses a shirred casing stick completely lined with a perforated flexible material adapted to protect the shirred casing rrom breakage and/or premature deshirring throughout the handling and the water soaking steps which precede the stuffing of such~sticks.
11,438 Canadian Patent 988,466 to Wilmsen discloses a compressed shirred casing enclosed in a perforated sie~ve extending over only the external surface of the casing and closed at the opposite ends of the compressed shirred casing.
U. S. Patent 4,033,3~2 to Eichin discloses a self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed tubular casing having a heat-shrinkable perforated sheathing material closely drawn and tensioned about the periphery of the casing, and down about at least a portion of the terminal pleats at each end so as to provide an integral reinforced aperture at each end thereof aligned with the bore through the shirred casing.
However, there is still the demand for a method of retaining shirred casing stieks and preventing a pre-mature deshirring thereof that is- simple and economical to use, which perm:its the shirred casing stick to be readily moisturized without undue maniuplation and danger o premature deshirring, allows for correct placement of 20' the shirred casing stick on a stuffing horn, and permits stuffing while the shirred portion of the casing is still enclosed within the sheathing material.
- It is an object of the present invention to provide a shirred casing with a novel sheathing materiaI, preferabIy perforated, for maintaining the integrity of the casing throughout the ~operations which precede the stuffing of said casing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a shirred casing with a sheathing material, preferably perforated, which can remain on the casing 10897~ 11 ,438 when it is positioned on the stuffing horn of a conven-tional stuffing apparatus thereby maintaining the shirred casing in a firm, compacted form during~the stuffing operation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a sheathing material, preferably perforated, for shirred casing which has an extended end infolded into one end of the bore of the casing so as to facili-~ tate mounting of the casing on the stuffing horn without : . 10 tamaging the casing.
It is another object of the present invention to:provide a shirred casing with a sheathing material, preferably perforated, which is. arranged so as to indicate the preferre~ tirection of stuffing for the casing.
It is another abject of the present invention to provide perforated.-encasement means for a shirret cas.ing which will ¢ontrol the longitudinal growth ;~ during the humidifying process of the casing.
.~ 20: Qther ant atditional objects of the invention wilI be.come apparent from the specification, tescription ant ac¢ompanying drawings.
SummarY of the Invention The inven:tion basically relates to a self-sustaining length of shirred and compresset casing comprising:
a) a stick of;shLrred and compressed casing having a bore extending therethrough; and b) a.heat-shrinkable tubular sheathing material, preferably per~oraLed, shrunk snugly around the periphery of said casing; said heat-shrunk tubular sheat.hing material 1 089 7~ 0 11,438 having an axially extended first end tucked into one end of the bore of the casing so as to adapt said casing end for sliding onto a stuffing horn and an axially exten~ed tubular second end projecting away from the other end of the bore of the casing to provide a tubular conduit through which the casing can be deshirred and dispensed for stuf~ing.
PreferabIy a small segment of the casing should be deshirred and maintained within the tubular conduit so as to be available for easy grasping:by an operator of a stuffing apparatus.
The i:nvention also relates tO a method of preparing a self:-sustained length of shirred and compressed casing comprising.the steps:
a) providing and supporting a stick of shirred and compressed tubular casing hauing'a substantially straight.bo:re extend:ing therethrough about a mandrel;
b) providing a l.ength of~heat-shrinkable sheathing mater;ial, p.referably perforated, and~arranging said sheathing ~at:erial about th'e periphery of said supported::shir~re:d:casing s:t~ick with the ends thereo~
ex~tending-beyond the ends of~'the said shirred casing and:
disposed about said mandrel;
c): s~hrinking.:said sheathing.material to closely draw sai:d~sheathlng~material about the periphery of said shi'rred'casing~an:d~dr-àw~the~sheathing extended~ends about the supp.ort mandrel to form tubular extensions about the mandre~ said:tub~ular extensions having a~diameter smaller then the~external diameter of the shirred:casing;
d) removing the mandrel supp,~rt from the sheathed enc.loset shirred casing; and:
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1089700 11,438 e) inturning the tubular extension at one end of the sheathing material into one end.of the bore of the casing.
Another method of preparing a self-sustained length of shirred and compressed casing would comprise the-steps:
a) preparing a stick of shirred and compressed tubular casing having a substantially straight bore : extending therethrough;
b) providing a length of heat-shrinkable sheathing material, preferably perforated, and arranging said sheathing material about the periphery of said shirred cas-ing stick with the ends thereof extending beyond the ends- of the said shirred casing;
c) inturning ane end of the sheathing material into one end of the bore o the casing;
d) supporting the sheathed.enclased shirred casing on a mandrel;
e)~ shrinking said sheathing material to closely draw said sheathing material ab:out the periphery of said shirred casing and:draw the sheathing extended end.about `
the:support mandrel to form a tubular extension about the mandrel, said tubular extension having a diameter sma}ler then the external diameter of the shirred casing; and f) removing the mandrel support from the sheathed enc.losed shirred casing.
In both of the above methods, it is preferable to deshirr a.small segment from one end by an amount not longer than the length.that the sheathing material will extend beyond the ca`sing to form the tubular canduit.
This will result in producing a self-supporting encased 11,438 shirred casing having an initial deshirred portion of casing within the tubular conduit of the sheathing material.
Shirred casings which can be used in this invention are the synthetic casings which must be humidified in some way, preferably by soaking in a vat of warm water, to soften them before they can be used on a stuffing app:aratus. The shirred casings., when disposed in a humidifying medium, tend to increase in length as they absorb:water,. and if the shirred cas~ings are not : 10 res~trained in a~suitable manner, they will usually ~ increase in length by up to lOO~i. and greater as a result ;~ of the humidifying operation.
An~advantageous~ aspect- of this invention is that the shea~thing~material acts as a pleat retaining means for the shirred casing wh~ch can be left in pIace on:the c:as~ing during;:the humidifyiNg process, storage and ~the:~stuffing operat~ion. Thus the~growth of the shirred casing can~be~sel:ecti~ely controlled by the sheathing material during~the.~humi~difying process. It is es.sential 20~ to.~;~oarefully~control the growth of the casing during process~ing slnc:e if the growth:is allowed to proceed unras~trained~,: then::the:~casing may expand to a length whereby:~i:t may be too long~for the.h.orn of a stuffing apparatus in-w~ich.i:t is to be used. In the~other extreme, if the casing is~comp~}etely restricted from any longitu-,, .
; . dinal growth, then~the~casing may not absorb sufficient : . water-during~the humidifying operation since~w.ater would not~be able to pene:trate between the pleats. This could result in the casing being unus~able on the-stuffing apparatus.
:
~0897~0 11 ,438 To insure proper and sufficient humidi~ication of the casing, it is preferable that the sheathing material have a sufficient number of perforati~ns to allow access of the humidifying medium to the outer periphery of the shirred casing. Preferably, the heat-shrinkable sheathing material should have a plurality of slits arranged such that when it is pIaced on a shirred casing, the slits will be disposet parallel to the axis of the casing. Thus when the assembled casing is exposed to conventional heating means, the~sheath~will:shrink thereby expanding the slits to form diamond-shaped apertures.. The apertures wilI then alIow the humitifying medium, such as water, to pass through the sheathing material and contact the external surface of the shirred.casing while the humidifying medium can also enter the bore of the shirred casing and contact the.inter-nal surf:ace~of the shirred c.asing.. This wi.ll allow a more rapid~humidifying:r:ate~for the shirreq casing.
In the~pr.imary embodiment of this invention, the shea.thing~material:would be perforated with slits which would~be~disposed in rows:parallel to the axis of the e~as~ing.~ In addieion-:, the slits in each:row s:hould be ; ~ .
stagge-re:d to-provide~an ovérlapped relationship with the slits:in the~adjacent.rows~.. That is to say, each s:l:i.t in a row should bie longitudinally ext:ended so tha.t when it is pr.ojected,. along.:with at lèast~one adjacent slit in.an.
ad]ace~nt row, onto the longitudinal axis of:the casing, the.slit projection will overlap.s:aid at leiast one adjacent slit proj-ec.tion.of the adjacent row. The length:of the slits should b.e between ab:out 1 and 10 cm long, perferably about 7 cm long, and spaced apart from slits in adjacent _9_ 11,438 10897~0 rows by between about 1 and 10 cm, preferably about,3 cm.
The last slit in each row-should extend beyond the end of the casing in which the sheathing material extends outward in a tubular configuration by not more than the wall thickness of the shirred casing stick. Slits extending beyond this amount will distort the end of the casing during humidification to a degree that may distort the bore at the end of the casing, ~hus making said~casing end unusable for-use with automatic stuffing apparatus~. In addi,tion, slits extenting,beyond the amount specified above woult not efféctively~ restrain the casing during the humidifying proG:ess. At the opposite end o the casing, the last slit in each FOW could'extend up to about 50/0 of`the length of the~sheathing mat:erial inturnet into the bore of the. casing. This, is necessary so as. to provite a continuous ring~.of.the shea.thing~material inside the bore to selec-:
eiYely control casing~growth during humid:ification ant tofacili,tate.the mounting of the shirred casing on the stufing,horn.i , Altho.ugh.slits are preferred, the perforations may cons:ist of any~shaped configuration, such as circles, semi-circles or~any,shaped polygon, as long as they provite sufficient~ape;r~ture~s to &l`low the humidifying medium to r,apidly and effectively contac,t: the~external surface o the s.hirred casing. Preferably, the,apertures should be sub-stantially uniformly di;spos~ed in the sheathing material and prefcrably occupy~between about lO.ant 90 per cent of the area;of'the:peripheral sur$ace of the~shirr:ed casi..ng,.
,r ' , As~ stated ab~ve, the infolting of one end of the sheathing material into the bore of the casing will adapt 1089700 11,438 that end for easy mounting on a stuffing horn without damaging the casing. At the opposite end, the sheathing material extends from the end of the casing in a tubular configuration, through which the casing can be deshirred and fed out for stuffing. The end of the sheathing to be inturned into the bore of the casing should preferably extend within the bore by a length of between about l/2 and about 3, more preferably about 1, times the inner diameter (bore) of the casing. The shrunk diameter of the sheathing to be intur~ed within the casing bore should preferabIy be approximately equal to the bore of the shirred casing. The end of the sheathing to be extended to form a tubular conduit should preferably extend beyond the casing by a length of between about 1 and about 3, preferably abaut 1.5, times the inner diameter of the casing. The shrunk diam:eter of the extended tubular conduit of the sheathing should be no less than the diameter of the shirred casing bore and`no greater than the outer diameter ` of the shirred casing~minus 20 percent of the shirred casing wall thickness.
In some applications, it may be preferred to . . , deshirr the shirred casin~ sticks in a particular direction.
In order to ensure that the sticks will be stuffed in the correct direction, it is known-to provide directional arrows on the~side and/or top carton in which the shirred casings are packe~d. It is not necessary in the present invention to provide any directional indicia for proper mounting on a horn since the casing end with the inturned sheathing material is always placed and slid onto the horn o a stuffing apparatus first. Thus the operator of 11,438 - a stuffing apparatus can have no doub~ about the direction in which a shirred casing, according to this invention, is to be assembled onto the stuffing horn.
Shirred tubular food casings that may be employed in accordance with the practice of the invention are food casings, and preferably regenerated cellulosic food casings, prepared by any of the well known methods and including fibro~s food casing that has a fibrous web embedded in the wall thereof.
I0 Material constituting the sheathing material of the present invention may be prepared from any one of a wide variety of film forming polymers and copolymers well known in the art, as, for example, polyvinylidene chloride copolymers and terpolymers, polyvinylcholoride and co-polymers thereof, polyethylene (both high and low density and mixtures thereof) and other polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters, and the like. Especially preferred are sheathing materials prepared from heat-shrinkable plastic film or plastic film that exhibits some heat-shrinking characteristics. Suitable plastic film sheathing material may be translucent, opaque or transparent and may have a fiIm thickness between about .007 cm and .030 cm, or great~er, depending on the size of the shirred casing stick to be enveloped and length of tubular casing incorporated in said stick. Preferably, the sheathing material should be about .015 cm~thick ~or most applications.
In general, suitable sheathing material may be seamless or seamed tubing that may be ~repared as individual discrete lengths or cut from continuous lengths of tubing, or may be sheet material that is formed about the shirred 11,438 ~asing stick and then heat sealed or fused eo itself during shrinkage.
It can, in general, be stated that in using tubular sheathing material, the internal diameter prior to shrinking should be larger than the outer diameter of the casing, so that the casing can be inserted therein without difficul~y but should not be so large that the sheathing fails to grip the shirred casing stick snugly after the shrinking operation. Preferably, the diameter of the sheathing prior to shrinking should be at least about 10%
larger than the external diameter of the casing. The shrinking of the sheathing material about the shirred casing can be effected in any convenient manner.
IlIustrative embodiments of-the invention are shown in the drawings wherein:
Figure-I is an elevational view, partially in section, of an exemplary embodiment of a self-sustaining ~-~ length of shirred and compressed tubular casing encased in an outer perfQrated shrun~s~heathing material.
Figure 2 is an elevational.view, partially in section, of the encased casing of Figure 1, except that a portion of the casing is shown deshirred and extended ~ outside one end of the sheathing material.
- Figure 3 is an elevational view, partially in section, of a stepped mandrel with a shirred and compressed casing mounted on said mandrel, a tubular heat-shrinkable sheathing material arranged thereabout and heat means disposed about said sheathing material.
Figure 4 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the stepped mandrel mounted shirred and 11,438 .
compressed casing of Figure 3 with the,sheathing material shrunk about said casing.
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure l a stick of shirred and compressed tubular casing 2 having a bore 4 extending therethrough. The casing 2 is contained and restrained within a heat shrunk sheathing material 6, said sheathing material 6 having an end port.ion 8 inturned into one end 10 of the bo,re ~ of casing 2 while ::: the opposite end lZ of sheathing material 6 is extended in :lO a~t:ubular configuration away from the bore 4.of the casing.
, Dispo~sed in the sheathing.material 6.are a plurality of ;~ ~ : rows of diamond-shaped apertures~ 14, each row of apertures 14 being staggered so that each aperture 14 averlaps an ` : adiacent aper.ture. As: is apparent from Figure I, the ap.erture sheathet encas:ed casing can be ~apidly and com-: pletely~humi~dified by any conventional te-chnique, as, for e~yple,: by pl`acing the, encas-ed.~casing in a.vat of water.
~ for~a~:pe:ri~od~:of. Cime sufficient for the encased casing to 'Y ~ aba,orb~enough wat~er to allow the:casing, when stuffed, to 20~ con-form~to.the~recommende~d:o.tuffing~diameter~of the casing.
; The àp~ertur:es~I4 will alIow the water to contact and be a~bso~hed,by~the external, surface I~,~of the,casing 2 while.
water:c-an,enter the bore 4 of the~ casing 2 where it can coneaet.and be absorbed by the internal surface 18 of the : casing 2. The:inturned por.tion 8 of the sheathing material 6~;provides a compacted~:annulus member for the casing which : can be slid onto a horn of a stuffing apparatus without ' damaging the casing.
, Figure 2 shows the encased casing of Figure 1 having the same elements identified with the same reference .
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, 11,438 ' ~089700 numbers with the addition, in that, a.portion 20 of the casing 2 is deshirred and projected from the tubular - portion 12 of sheathing material 6:. Preerably, a small ; portion of the casing 2 would be deshirred and maintained ~ within~the tubular portion 12 of the sheathing 6 so as to ; facilitate the further deshirring of the casing when the c:asing is placed on a stuffing horn. As is apparent from Fi~ure 2i, the deshi,rred casing 20 can be easily dispensed ~ ~ .
from the tubular sheathing conduit 12.and after the initial segment is appropriately tied or closed in any conventional manner, the casing will be ready for stuffi~ng.
A.typical method of preparing.the heat-shrunk, sheathed, shirr:et casing of the pre.sent invention, as, for example, the:sheathed.casing o,f Figures } ant 2, is illus-traced~in~Figur:es:-3'a-nd 4. Figure 3 shows a shirred and compres-sed.,tu~ulæ -casing 22~having:~a:bore 24 extending the:rethroagh~and being~mounted'~on a:stepped mandrel~26.
Although not show~-, the mandr~el:need not b~e s-tepped and cou1d~:b~-ohe~end of"a.~shir~ring.:mandrel that is~part of the shirring~app~aratus~o,r-it.~may:be~an auxiliary mandre.l to whic,-h the:casing.:::was mo*ed~a:fter completion of the-shirring a~d-,~compression opeDaeions. On:e end of'the casing,is deShirred~bx~a~l~ngth-~not,to:~exceed~the.length that a :sheathing~material will extend beyond the end,of the~casing to.~for~-~a~tubular conduit. A~sheet of heat-shrinkable she-~a~thing,materia:1.27'is then ass:e.mbled o~er the:casing 22 and'extended~beyond.:the~shirred casing 22 so as to be disposed over a:portion of the mandrel..26 at both ends of the casing and ov~er-said;:teshirred segment 25. of the casing 22':at the one~ent. The sheathing materiaI 27 is also shown ,..
: -15-11,438 ~0897~0 with rows of longitudinal slits 28 disposed substantially uniformly over its surface. The casing assembly 30 is then surrounded with "heat guns" 32 which deliver a blast of hot air ~ver the external surface of sheathing material 27 and which cause the sheathing material to shrink and draw down about the periphery of the casing 22, while simul-taneously the slits 28 expand to form diamond-shaped apertures.36 as is shown in Figure 4. This will cause the sheathing material 27 to.impart a restraining force on the casing that will control its expansion during subsequent processing. After the mandrel 26 is removed from the sheathed encased casing 34 shown in Figure 4, one end of the sheathing is inturned into the bore 24 of the casing .. . .
22 producing a self-sustaining encased shirred casing as is shown,in Figure,l:. The sheathed.casing of this ;~ :
invention can-be grasped~and carried without breaking or premature~ separation,,, and it has an,unrestricted bore that permits:ready~instal:lat:ion of the casing onto a stuffing : ho.rn~. The heat-shrunk perforated s.heathing will provide 20'~ ~: 'the following benef~its::
- I... I:t wi,l~ restrain the shirred,casing in its .
compres~sed:'state,and~protect it.from external contamination prior t-o stuffing:..
:~: 2. It will provide a means:for controlling . longitudinal:growth or~expansion of-the shirred casing , during the~humidifyin~ process.
3. It will provite a means for maintaining longitudinal compression of the s:hirre~ casing during its placement on the stuffing horn.
11,438 10897~0
11,438 10897~0
4. It will provide a restraint for the shirred casing which has an infolded end which can enable the casing to be easily mounted on a stuffing horn without causing damage to the casing, while also functioning as an indicator means for positioning the proper end of the casing on the stuffing horn.
5. It will provide a tubular conduit through which the initial deshirred casing can be easily grasped by the operator.
It is to be understood that other modifications and changes to the preferred embodiments of the invention shown and described herein can aIso be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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It is to be understood that other modifications and changes to the preferred embodiments of the invention shown and described herein can aIso be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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Claims (30)
1. A self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing comprising:
a) a stick of shirred and compressed casing having a bore extending therethrough; and b) a heat-shrinkable tubular sheathing material shrunk snugly around the periphery of said casing; said heat-shrunk tubular sheathing material having an axially extended first end tucked into one end of the bore of the casing so as to adapt said casing end for sliding onto a stuffing horn, and having an axially extended tubular second end projecting away from the other end of the bore of the casing to provide a tubular conduit through which the casing can be deshirred and dispensed for stuffing.
a) a stick of shirred and compressed casing having a bore extending therethrough; and b) a heat-shrinkable tubular sheathing material shrunk snugly around the periphery of said casing; said heat-shrunk tubular sheathing material having an axially extended first end tucked into one end of the bore of the casing so as to adapt said casing end for sliding onto a stuffing horn, and having an axially extended tubular second end projecting away from the other end of the bore of the casing to provide a tubular conduit through which the casing can be deshirred and dispensed for stuffing.
2. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 1 wherein a deshirred segment of the casing is extended and contained within the tubular conduit.
3. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 2 wherein the tubular conduit end of the sheathing material extends beyond the end of the casing by a length between about 1 and about 3 times the inner diameter of the casing.
4. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 2 wherein the end of the sheathing material tucked into the bore of the casing extends within said casing bore by a distance of between about 0.5 and about 3 times the inner diameter of the casing.
5. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 4 wherein the tubular conduit end of the sheathing material extends beyond the end of the casing by a length between about 1 and about 3 times the inner diameter of the casing.
6. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 1 wherein the sheathing material is perforated.
7. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 2 wherein the sheathing material is perforated.
8. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 6 wherein the perforations are arranged in spaced-apart relationship in rows parallel to the axis of the casing with the perforations in one row staggered from the perforations in an adjacent row.
9. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 6 wherein the perforations are diamond-shaped apertures.
10. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 9 wherein the diamond-shaped apertures are arranged in spaced-apart relationship, in rows parallel to the axis of the casing, with the diamond-shaped apertures in one row staggered from the diamond-shaped apertures in an adjacent row.
11. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 6 wherein the end of the sheathing material tucked into the bore of the casing extends within said casing bore by a distance of between about 0.5 and about 3 times the inner diameter of the casing.
12. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 11 wherein the tubular end of the sheathing material extends beyond the end of the casing by a length between about 1 and about 3 times the inner diameter of the casing.
13. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 7 wherein the end of the sheathing material tucked into the bore of the casing extends within said casing by a distance of between about 0.5 and about 3 times the inner diameter of the casing.
14. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 13 wherein the tubular end of the sheathing material extends beyond the end of the casing by a length between about 1 and about 3 times the inner diameter of the casing.
15. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 9 wherein the end of the sheathing material tucked into the bore of the casing extends within said casing by a distance of between about 0.5 and about 3 times the inner diameter of the casing.
16. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 15 wherein the tubular end of the sheathing material extends beyond the end of the casing by a length between about 1 and about 3 times the inner diameter of the casing.
17. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 1 wherein the sheathing material is selected from the group consisting of the polyvinylidene chloride copolymers and terpolymers, polyvinylchloride and copolymers thereof, polyolefins, polyamides and polyesters.
18. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 1 wherein the sheathing material is selected from at least one of the materials in the group consisting of high density polyethylene and law density polyethylene.
19. A method of preparing a self-sustained length of shirred and compressed casing comprising the steps of:
a) providing and supporting a stick of shirred and compressed tubular casing having a substantially straight bare extending therethrough about a mandrel;
b) providing a length of heat-shrinkable sheathing material and arranging said sheathing material about the periphery of said supported shirred casing stick with the ends thereof extending beyond the ends of said shirred casing and disposed about said mandrel;
c) shrinking said sheathing material to closely draw said sheathing material about the periphery of said shirred casing, and to closely draw the sheathing extended ends about the support mandrel to form tubular extensions about the mandrel, said tubular extensions having a diameter smaller than the external diameter of the shirred casing;
d) removing the mandrel support from the sheathed enclosed shirred casing; and e) inturning the tubular extension at one end of the sheathing material into the adjacent one end of the bore of the casing.
a) providing and supporting a stick of shirred and compressed tubular casing having a substantially straight bare extending therethrough about a mandrel;
b) providing a length of heat-shrinkable sheathing material and arranging said sheathing material about the periphery of said supported shirred casing stick with the ends thereof extending beyond the ends of said shirred casing and disposed about said mandrel;
c) shrinking said sheathing material to closely draw said sheathing material about the periphery of said shirred casing, and to closely draw the sheathing extended ends about the support mandrel to form tubular extensions about the mandrel, said tubular extensions having a diameter smaller than the external diameter of the shirred casing;
d) removing the mandrel support from the sheathed enclosed shirred casing; and e) inturning the tubular extension at one end of the sheathing material into the adjacent one end of the bore of the casing.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein said sheathing material is perforated and wherein in step c) the perfora-tions expand during the shrinking operation.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein in step b) the perforated heat-shrinkable sheathing material is provided with slits arranged in spaced-apart relationship in rows parallel to the axis of the casing with the slits in one row being staggered from the slits in an adjacent row.
22. The method of claim 19 wherein after step e) the following step is added:
f) deshirring a small segment of the casing at the end adjacent the tubular extension and maintaining the deshirred segment of the casing within the tubular extension.
f) deshirring a small segment of the casing at the end adjacent the tubular extension and maintaining the deshirred segment of the casing within the tubular extension.
23. The method of claim 19 wherein in step b) one end of the casing is deshirred by an amount no longer than the length that the sheathing material extends beyond one end of the shirred casing so that said deshirred casing length is disposed within the sheathing material, and wherein in step e) the end of the sheathing material that does not contain the deshirred casing is inturned into the bore of the casing.
24. A method of preparing a self-sustained length of shirred and compressed casing which comprises the steps of:
a) preparing a stick of shirred and compressed tubular casing having a substantially straight bore ex-tending therethrough;
b) providing a length of heat-shrinkable sheathing material and arranging said sheathing material about the periphery of said shirred casing stick with the ends thereof extending beyond the ends of the said shirred casing;
c) inturning one end of the sheathing material into the adjacent one end of the bore of the casing;
d) supporting the sheathed enclosed shirred casing on a mandrel;
e) shrinking said sheathing material to closely draw said sheathing material about the periphery of said shirred casing and to draw the sheathing extended end about the support mandrel to form a tubular extension about the mandrel, said tubular extension having a diameter smaller than the external diameter of the shirred casing; and f) removing the mandrel support from the sheathed enclosed shirred casing.
a) preparing a stick of shirred and compressed tubular casing having a substantially straight bore ex-tending therethrough;
b) providing a length of heat-shrinkable sheathing material and arranging said sheathing material about the periphery of said shirred casing stick with the ends thereof extending beyond the ends of the said shirred casing;
c) inturning one end of the sheathing material into the adjacent one end of the bore of the casing;
d) supporting the sheathed enclosed shirred casing on a mandrel;
e) shrinking said sheathing material to closely draw said sheathing material about the periphery of said shirred casing and to draw the sheathing extended end about the support mandrel to form a tubular extension about the mandrel, said tubular extension having a diameter smaller than the external diameter of the shirred casing; and f) removing the mandrel support from the sheathed enclosed shirred casing.
25. The method of claim 24 wherein said sheathing material is perforated and wherein in step e) the perfora-tions expand during the shrinking operation.
26. The method of claim 25 wherein in step b) the perforated heat-shrinkable sheathing material is provided with slits arranged in spaced apart relationship in rows parallel to the axis of the casing and the slits in one row being staggered from the slits in an adjacent row.
27. The method of claim 24 wherein in step c) the other end of the casing is, deshirred by an amount no longer than the length that the sheathing material extends beyond said casing end so that said deshirred casing length is disposed within the sheathing material.
28. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 1 wherein the tubular end of the sheathing material extends beyond the end of the casing by a length between about 1 and about 3 times the inner diameter of the casing.
29. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 1 wherein the end of the sheathing material tucked into the bore of the casing extends within said casing by a distance of between about 0.5 and about 3 times the inner diameter of the casing.
30. The self-sustaining length of shirred and compressed casing of claim 29 wherein the tubular end of the sheathing material extends beyond the end of the casing by a length between about 1 and about 3 times the inner diameter of the casing.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US82742177A | 1977-08-25 | 1977-08-25 | |
| US827,421 | 1977-08-25 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1089700A true CA1089700A (en) | 1980-11-18 |
Family
ID=25249183
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA308,262A Expired CA1089700A (en) | 1977-08-25 | 1978-07-27 | Self-sustaining stick of shirred casing |
Country Status (16)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS5455755A (en) |
| AR (1) | AR218503A1 (en) |
| AT (1) | AT363771B (en) |
| AU (1) | AU522034B2 (en) |
| BE (1) | BE869953A (en) |
| BR (1) | BR7805478A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1089700A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2836818C2 (en) |
| FI (1) | FI69434C (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2401075A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2003015B (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1098405B (en) |
| MX (1) | MX149823A (en) |
| NL (1) | NL7808750A (en) |
| NZ (1) | NZ188248A (en) |
| SE (1) | SE434004B (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USH1592H (en) * | 1992-01-17 | 1996-09-03 | Viskase Corporation | Cellulosic food casing |
| US5603884A (en) * | 1994-11-18 | 1997-02-18 | Viskase Corporation | Reinforced cellulosic film |
Families Citing this family (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS574986U (en) * | 1980-06-10 | 1982-01-11 | ||
| NZ200366A (en) * | 1981-05-01 | 1986-07-11 | Union Carbide Corp | Cored high density shirred food casing |
| US5038832A (en) * | 1981-05-01 | 1991-08-13 | Viskase Corporation | Cored high density shirred casings |
| DE3339457A1 (en) * | 1983-10-31 | 1985-05-09 | Naturin-Werk Becker & Co, 6940 Weinheim | End closure for a shirred sausage casing made of edible material, process for its production and use in the production of a sausage |
| JPS61271943A (en) * | 1985-05-27 | 1986-12-02 | 平成ポリマー株式会社 | Tie string for meat |
| NL9001433A (en) * | 1990-06-22 | 1992-01-16 | Dec Holding Bv | METHOD OF APPLYING RESPECTIVELY PACKAGING A PIPE OF PLEATABLE FOIL MATERIAL |
| US5771662A (en) * | 1996-06-28 | 1998-06-30 | Douglas Machine Limited Liability Company | Apparatus and methods for producing shrink wrap packaging |
| FR2804835B1 (en) * | 2000-02-11 | 2003-04-04 | Celtiplast | SHEATH FOR PRESENTING NATURAL HOSES |
| DE202015008912U1 (en) * | 2015-11-02 | 2016-02-24 | Hilmar Reiß | Stopperless tube for sausage casings |
| US20190031382A1 (en) * | 2017-07-26 | 2019-01-31 | Alain Cerf | Cooling Holes for Film Wrapped Articles |
Family Cites Families (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LU37808A1 (en) * | 1958-10-20 | |||
| US2983949A (en) * | 1959-07-22 | 1961-05-16 | Union Carbide Corp | Apparatus for shirring sausage casings |
| US3528825A (en) * | 1967-12-04 | 1970-09-15 | Union Carbide Canada Ltd | Shrink wrapped shirred casings |
| US3639130A (en) * | 1969-03-05 | 1972-02-01 | Union Carbide Corp | Shirred casing stick |
| CA988466A (en) * | 1970-08-06 | 1976-05-04 | George M. Wilmsen | Packaging of shirred artificial sausage casings |
| US4033382A (en) * | 1974-11-18 | 1977-07-05 | Union Carbide Corporation | Self-sustaining stick of shirred food casing |
| DE2510637C2 (en) * | 1975-03-12 | 1982-11-18 | Hoechst Ag, 6000 Frankfurt | Hollow rod made of gathered tube with the sleeve surrounding the hollow rod |
-
1978
- 1978-07-27 CA CA308,262A patent/CA1089700A/en not_active Expired
- 1978-08-23 DE DE2836818A patent/DE2836818C2/en not_active Expired
- 1978-08-23 FI FI782583A patent/FI69434C/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1978-08-24 NZ NZ188248A patent/NZ188248A/en unknown
- 1978-08-24 BR BR7805478A patent/BR7805478A/en unknown
- 1978-08-24 IT IT27007/78A patent/IT1098405B/en active
- 1978-08-24 FR FR7824557A patent/FR2401075A1/en active Granted
- 1978-08-24 AR AR273413A patent/AR218503A1/en active
- 1978-08-24 NL NL7808750A patent/NL7808750A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1978-08-24 AU AU39209/78A patent/AU522034B2/en not_active Expired
- 1978-08-24 GB GB7834464A patent/GB2003015B/en not_active Expired
- 1978-08-24 BE BE190055A patent/BE869953A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1978-08-24 AT AT0616378A patent/AT363771B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1978-08-24 MX MX174625A patent/MX149823A/en unknown
- 1978-08-24 JP JP10240178A patent/JPS5455755A/en active Granted
- 1978-08-24 SE SE7808967A patent/SE434004B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USH1592H (en) * | 1992-01-17 | 1996-09-03 | Viskase Corporation | Cellulosic food casing |
| US5603884A (en) * | 1994-11-18 | 1997-02-18 | Viskase Corporation | Reinforced cellulosic film |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU522034B2 (en) | 1982-05-13 |
| GB2003015B (en) | 1982-01-06 |
| NZ188248A (en) | 1981-02-11 |
| FI69434C (en) | 1986-02-10 |
| AR218503A1 (en) | 1980-06-13 |
| IT7827007A0 (en) | 1978-08-24 |
| FI69434B (en) | 1985-10-31 |
| DE2836818A1 (en) | 1979-03-01 |
| SE7808967L (en) | 1979-02-26 |
| BR7805478A (en) | 1979-04-24 |
| MX149823A (en) | 1983-12-28 |
| JPS5455755A (en) | 1979-05-04 |
| JPS5643210B2 (en) | 1981-10-09 |
| AU3920978A (en) | 1980-02-28 |
| FR2401075A1 (en) | 1979-03-23 |
| FR2401075B1 (en) | 1984-03-09 |
| AT363771B (en) | 1981-08-25 |
| FI782583A (en) | 1979-02-26 |
| GB2003015A (en) | 1979-03-07 |
| DE2836818C2 (en) | 1983-08-11 |
| IT1098405B (en) | 1985-09-07 |
| SE434004B (en) | 1984-07-02 |
| BE869953A (en) | 1979-02-26 |
| NL7808750A (en) | 1979-02-27 |
| ATA616378A (en) | 1981-01-15 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |