US3183100A - Display food package - Google Patents

Description

May 11, 1965 J. BONINI DISPLAY FOOD PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 28, 1962 AL m l L mvErirToR. JOHN H. 50mm May 11, 1965 J. H. aomm DISPLAY goon PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed March 28, 1962 INVENTOR. Bow N! H H 0 v HTTORNEY United States Office 3 183,100 DISPLAY f om) PACKAGE John H. Bonini, Atlanta, 'Ga., assignor to Uiiion (lamp Paper Corporation, New York, tion of Virginia Filed Mar. 28, 1962, Ser. No. 18 1315 1 Claim. (Cl. 99-171) This invention relates to a novel envelope type display package for, wrapping sliced and stacked food corn- Bag- N.Y., a corporamodites of the readilydeformable, relatively 'sgft'typ such as luncheon meats, cheeses, fish and similar products, the novel package being adapted in a new way to accommodate the food product within the package, and to protect the slices of the food product during wrapping and subsequent handling of the package by a food packer.

More particularly, this invention provides an improved envelope type display package adapted for use by a food product packer for wrappingv sliced and stacked food products of the type named, under vacuum, and adapted for reuse by the vcustomer after the package is opened and is no longer under vacuum, wherein the sliced food commodities are completely enclosed and'sealed from contamination within an inner, closely conforming transparent flexible plastic liner material having an area which is adapted to be formed by the food packer prior to filling so as to provide a dish-like receptacle for allowing the liner to readily receive and conform to the shape of the food product being wrapped with a minimum of distortion and damage to the food product itself, particularly to the edges of the individual slices of the food product, and for allowing a certain volume of the wrapped food product to extend beyond the confines of the package backing material a suitable distance so that the package may accommodate a relatively large volume of food product.

The general concept of using folding, relatively rigid envelope blanks for forming display packages, the blanks having a transparent, scalable liner material adapted to wrap and protect sliced and stacked food products, is recognized as being generally old in the art, particular reference being made to the Ramsbottom et al. Patent No. 2,621,129. However, the prior art envelope packages adapted for use in wrapping sliced and stacked food products all fail to provide a blank having a display window covered by a liner sheet that is particularly adapted to be formed by a food packed to a dish-like configuration for receiving the food product to be wrapped, whereby a closely wrapped package is obtained without the edges of the food product being pressed sharply against the relatively unyielding interior surface of the package during the wrapping operation, and whereby, when folded, the dish area allows a certain volume of the food product wrapped therein to extend a certain distance beyond the outer surface of the backing material of the blank while still being sealed and protected from contamination by the liner material which closely conforms I to the food product.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved envelope type display package for sliced and stacked food products of the type named wherein provision is made for allowing a certain volume of packaged product to extend by a predetermined degree beyond the outer surface of the relatively rigid envelope backing material while still being sealed and protected from contamination by the liner material so as to allow accommodation by the package of varying volumes of food products, which volumes are not normally considered capable of being conveniently wrapped within the envelope type package.

It is another object of this invention to provide a package of the type described formed from a foldable wblank of relatively rigid Patented May 11, 1965 paperboard backing material having a cutout display window, and a liner sheet bonded to the backing material along certain closed loop bond lines extending parallel to, yet set back from the edges of thewindow cutout and a folding panel of the blank whereby a blank having a liner particularly adapted. to be formed by a food packer is obtained, and wherein" maximum utilization is made of the flexibility,

..,strength and adaptability of the liner material so formed.

It is still further an object of this invention to pro- .yide an envelope blank of the type described having an arrangement of foldable panels and liner material which provides a sturdy, reliable, attractive package fulfilling the negd for a wrapper for sliced and stacked food products having the combined advantages of an envelope wrapper and a formed container.

For a fuller understanding of the invention, as well 1 as other objects and features thereof, reference is had to the following description to be read in conjunction with the attached drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the blank of this invention without the liner sheet attached;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the blank with the liner sheet attached; A FIG.. 3' is a cross-sectional view of the blank with the liner sheet formed prior tofilling of the blank;

FIG. 4 is a filled blank;

FIG. 5 is a view taken along 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view of the bottom of a completed package formed fromv the blank;. and

FIG. 7' is a view of the top of a completed package perspective view of the partially folded,

formed from the blank.

Referring now to FIG. 1 there is shown a cut-out form of relatively rigid or still backing material generally indicated by the reference 1 for an envelope type display package which is adapted to wrap sliced and stacked food products such as'luncheon meats, for example. The backing material form 1 is shown without the liner sheet attached, and comprises a relatively rigid sheet of paperboard or the like which has been scored along fold lines 2, 3 and 4 so as to provide a top panel 5, side panels 6 extending laterally from the top panel, and an end panel 7 extending longitudinally from the top panel, the panels 6 and 7 being adapted to fold inwardly over the inner surface of the top panel in forming a package. The term inwardly for purposes of this description refers to a direction generally toward the interior of the finished package.

The top panel 5 has a generally square display cutout area 9 removed therefrom, the-cut-out area extending in a transverse direction from the center of panel 5 to the fold lines 2 and 3 on either side of the top panel as indicated at 11-11 and in a longitudinal direction from the center of panel 5 to edges 10-10' which are suitably spaced, respectively, from the edge 8 of the top panel and the fold line 4- between the top panel and the end panel 7. End panel 7 is of suitable length and width so as to be capable of completely covering the cut-out area 9 of the blank when the end panel 7 is folded inwardly over panel 5 along fold. line 4; that is, its edge 12 will extend approximately to edge 10 of the cut-out 9. Side panels 6 are of suitable dimension so as to be capable of being folded inwardly on their fold lines 2 and 3 to cover the center of panel 5 and overlap toprovide a suitable seal closure. Such panels 6 can be provided with a tongue 6a and a slit 6b for reclosure.

In FIGURE 2, the inner liner material. 13 is shown attached to the backing sheet 1. The inner liner is a relatively' thin, flexible transparent sheet that is easily sealable, and may comprise any of the well known. heat sealable and stretchable films, such as, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl chloride polymer, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate co-polymer, vinylidene chloride co-polymer (and these modified with small amounts of co-polymerized carboxy acid, e.g., acrylic acid, maleic acid, etc.), Pliofilm, a copolymer of vinylidene chloride and vinyl chloride, polyester (a resin such as polyethylene terephthalate resin), or a combination of same or others included to provide heat seal and low gas and moisture transmission rates. is of such length so as to extend from behind the edge 8 of panel 5 to a point beyond edge 12 of panel 7 so as to provide an overhanging portion of liner material as indicated at 16. Sheet 13 also is of sufficient width so as to cover the center panel 5 and a portion of the side panels 6 as indicated at 17. it will be noted that since the width of the end panel 7 is substantially the same as that of the center panel 5, there is necessarily provided a transverse overhang of liner material beyond edges 12 of end panel 7 as indicated at 18.

Liner sheet 13 is adhesively attached to the backing material of the blank along bond lines forming two closed loops. The first closed loop bond line is indicated at 14. This bond line adhesively secures the liner 13 to the blank along a line extending parallel to the edges 10-10 and 11-11 of the cut-out area 9 of the blank. The second closed loop bond line is indicated at 15. This bond line adhesively secures the liner to the end panel 7 along a line extending generally parallel to the edges 12-12 and the fold line 4 of the end panel. Bond line 14 is set back a predetermined distance as indicated at 25 from the edges 10, 10', 11 and 11' of the cut-out 9. Reasons fen-the set back will be more fully discussed below. It is desired to point out that the bond line 14, because of the fact that the transverse edges 11-11 of the cut-out 9 correspond to the fold lines 2 and 3 respectively ,of end panels 6, necessarily extends along portions of the side panels 6 as well as along portions of the center panel 5. Bond line 15 which attached the :liner sheet 13 to the end panel 7 is set back a predetermined distance as indicated' at 26 from the edges 12 and 12' of the panel 7 and from the fold line 4. The reasons for this will also be more fully discttssed below.

In forming a package from the blank described, the food packer first forms that portion of the liner material 22 covering the cut-out area 9 into a dish-shaped configuration as shown in FIGURE 3. The forming operation causes the liner material 22 in the area of the cut-out to be offset through the cut-out area and beyond the outer surface 21 of the center panel 5, the edge of the dished portion of the liner material being drawn outwardly over F the edges 10, 10', 11 and 11 of the cut-out 9 as indicated at 19. The forming operation is preferably performed by a vacuum fiexing and/or heat activating process whereby the portion of liner 1:;eing dished is drawn through the cut-out by vacuum into a suitable shaped concave forming mold (not shown) of desired configuration. The outwardly dished portion of liner material is stretched to a predetermined degree by the forming apparatus, the degree depending on the volttmt't of material desired to be enclosed by the package. The degree of stretch needed in any case may be precisely designed, considering the material being wrapped, and the elastic and/or heat shrinking characteristics of the',liner material so that upon release of the liner from the forming mold after the sealing operation described below, the liner material will tend to substantially resume its former fiat shape and will thereby conform itself closely to the contents of the package.

While the dished configuration of the liner is maintained, the sliced and stacked food product to be wrapped is placed within the formed area of the liner and the end panel 7 and its associated liner portion is folded inwardly over the food slices as shown by FIGURE 4, where a partially folded package for sliced and stacked relatively soft food products such as luncheon meat is illustrated. and where the food product 23 has already been placed It will be noted that liner sheet 13 a interior of the enclosure formed by the liner.

folded inwardly so as to cover the stack of food slices 23.

At this stage of the wrapping it will be noted that the marginal edges 16 and 18 of the liner sheet now overlay the marginal edges 16' and 17 of the liner sheet. The overlying edges 18 and 17 of the liner are now bonded to each other along the parallel lines 24 extending parallel to the edges 12' of the end panel 7, but set back a short distance therefrom so as to allow the liner to bend over and conform to the edge area of the food contents 23 as seen in FIGURE 5. When vacuum packing is desired of the contents of the package formed from the blank, top edges 16, 16 of the liner parallel to edges 12 of-panel 7 are temporarily left unsealed. The interior or the enclosure formed by the liner material surrounding the contents of the package may then be conveniently evacuated through the opening formed by said edges 16, 16'

- by any known process or means known in the vacuum packing art, and while evacuated the edges 16, 16' may be sealed along bond line 24' which extends between bond lines 24 to complete the sealing of the package contents from atmosphere. Of course, if vacuum packing process is not desired, the edges 16, 16' of the liner are simply bonded along bond lines 24' without evacuation of the In either instance, if one of'the variety of heat shrinkable plastics are used as liner material, heat may be applied to the liner after the sealing operation so as to cause more complete conformity of the liner sheet to the food product enclosed thereby, and, of course, to eliminate as much empty space within the liner as possible. It will be apparent that when vacuum packing of the food product is used, the evacuation of the enclosure formed by the liner will cause substantially complete conformity of the liner to the food product being wrapped.

In any case, the sliced and stacked food product wrapped and sealed within the envelope package in the manner described is not deformed or damaged at its edge area in any way, and is pleasing in appearance to a consumer viewing the contents of the package through the liner. Moreover, the allowance of wrapped volume of food product to extend beyond the confines of the backing material of the blank by reason of the dished liner results in a more adaptable package of this type wherein a relatively large volume of food product may be contained.

To complete the wrapping operation, side panels 6 are folded inwardly and secured in place over the end panel 7 in overlapping relation as shown in FIG. 6. The securing of the end panels in folded relationship may be accomplished by any suitable means, such as heat sealing the end panel surfaces along their mutual surfaces as indicated at 27, by separate gummed tape or label means (not shown), or even by an interlocking tongue and slit means of the type well known in the art of envelope packaging. When end panels 6 are folded inwardly, it will be apparent that the portion of the sealing seam 24 extending along the side panels 6 will be also folded over the end panel edges 12 so as to provide reinforcement of this scam against external forces incident to handling of the package during further processing operations, and during the time the package is subject to wholesaler, retailer and consumer handling.

When settling means, descriptive printing or labeling is desired to be applied to the folded side panels 6 of the package as seen in FIGURE 6, it will be apparent that the position and relative size of end panel 7 serves a useful purpose. End panel 7, by reason of its position intermediate the folded side panels 6 and the display cutout 9 wherein the wrapped food product is contained serves to provide a relatively rigid, flat, reinforcing surface beneath the side panels 6 which tends to evenly dislabeling is thus obtained, and undue applications of concentrated pressure to the food product within the package is effectively prevented. Panel 7 covered by panels 6 may also be printed to indicate opening and rcclosure instructions and merchandising copy to include quantity of contents, other products and premiums.

In the description of the invention above, it was pointed out that the bond line 14 attaching the liner 13 to the panels 5 and 6 was specified as being set back a predetermined distance from the edges 10, 10', 11 and 11' of the cut-out area 9, as indicated by the reference 25.

. 6 outwardly so as to conform with the dish-formed liner section at 20 which normally extends beyond the outer surface 2! of the center panel 5. It will be apparent that the gradual bending of the backing sheet material in the vicinity of the cut-out edge area also allows a greater degree of flexibility of the liner sheet material in the cut-out area than would otherwise be the case, thuspermitting a wider range of volumes of food prodnets to be wrapped within a single size blank.

It was also pointed out that the bond line attaching the liner sheet 13 to the panel '7 was specified as being set back a predetermined distance from the edges 12, 12' of the end panel and the fold line 4 as indicated by the reference 26. It was still further pointed out that the bond line 24, 24' sealing the liner material to itself about the contents of the package formed from the blank of the invention extended along a line spaced a certain distance from the edges 12, 12' of the end panel 7.

The particular placement of these bond lines is particu- 1 larly adapted to facilitate the forming to a dish-like configuration that area of liner material transversing the cut-out area 9 of the blank, and is an important aspect of this invention. In forming a sliced food package with prior art envelope blanks having a cut-out area of size corresponding generally to the cross sectional area of the sliced food product, it has been found that with food products that are relatively soft and easily damaged, especially when sliced to relatively thin sections, such as many varieties of luncheon meat, for example, the edge areas of the slices have a tendency to be compressed and/or deformed to relatively severe degree during the wrapping and folding operation which is normally done by machinery tending to damage the food productbeing wrapped as the panels of the envelope blank are folded by the machinery with some degree of force over and around the product in the package forming process. As a result of machine or even hand sealing, deforming of the edge areas of the food product and damage as a result of pressing the food against unyielding parts of the package occurs to impair the appearance of the stack of food slices being wrapped.

The present invention satisfied the need for an envelope blank having a liner which is especially adapted to be pre-formed by food packers to prevent deformation of the food product desired t be wrapped within the envelope blank. Simultaneously, there is provided in such a package allowance for a certain volume of the wrapped food product to extend a certain distance beyond the confines of the relatively rigid backing material, while the food product is still retained within the liner. With respect to both of these features, the method of bonding the liner sheet to the backing sheet of the blank is of importance if a sturdy, reliable, attractive, and adaptable package is to be obtained.

Accordingly, the bond line 14 attaching the liner to panel 5 is set back from the edges of the cut-out 9 a predetermined distance, generally a set back corresponding to 5% of the width of the cut-out has been found to be sufficient, for the specific purpose of allowing, during the dishing operation, the edge of the dished portion of the liner sheet 13 to bend gently over the edges of the cut-out 9 rather than to extend directly from a bond line at the edges of the cut-out.

The bending action is important both from the standpoint of reducing the stress occurring at the bond line 14 between the liner and backing material, and for allow ing the backing sheet material itself to bend gradual outwardly at the edges 10, 10', Ill and 11' of the cut-out 9 from the bond line 14 as the liner is urged outwardly during dishing operation by the food packer. This reduces the stress at the liner-backing interface where the liner bends over the edges of the cut-out, as shown in FIGURE 5 wherein edge 11 has been slightly deformed :As regards the bond lines 15, 24 and 24 it will be seen in FIGURES 4 and 5 that due to their being set back to either side of the edges 12, 12' of the end panel 7,.a setback of roughly 540% of the cut-out area being generally sufficient, the upper marginal edges 16 and 18 of the liner sheet 13 are able to stretch, bend and conform to the'upper edge area of the food product 23 during the packagingoperation, and after the side panels have been folded over the contents of the package. Thus, the setback of bond lines 15 and 24 in combination with the pre-formed fill space described also provides amply for variable volumes of food products that may be wrapped within the package of the present invention.

The display package of the invention can be used for wrapping articles other than food but with food the important advantages of cleanliness and neatness of the package are achieved in outstanding fashion. It will thus be understood that the term food, when used in the specification and claims, includes other articles or products which can be packaged in the container of the present invention.

' It will be seen that the package described and claimed positive seal to achieve greater packaging speed. Furthermore in this package the flexible film is attached to the board which permits control of the folding sequence. This is important because the extended portions of the flexible liner could not be properly controlled without attachment to the panel. The control is the basis upon which the construction and package is possible in the folding sequence.

Since certain changes in carrying out the above method, and certain modifications in the article which embody the invention may be made without departing from its scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claim is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A display container enclosing and protecting the edge areas of a sliced and stacked, relatively soft food-commodity, formed from a blank formed from a relatively rigid, foldable backing sheet cut and scored to provide a top panel having one free edge, inwardly folding side panels modified to lock with each other, and an end panel, the top panel having a cut-out area extending transversely to the side panel fold lines, the end panel being of suitable length and width so as to cover the said cut-out area when folded over the top panel, the blank having a sealable, transparent, relatively flexible liner sheet covering the hacking sheet, the liner having sufficient length so as to extend longitudinally from the free edge end of the top panel to point beyond the end panel, and having sufficient width so as to extend transversely from the center of the top panel to points beyond the fold lines of the side panels, that portion of the liner sheet covering the cut-out area of the backing sheet being dished so as to cause it to be offset through and beyond the plane of the 7 backing sheet a predetermined distance, the liner sheet being adhesively attached to the backing sheet along bonding lines including a first line extending completely about and set back a predetermined distance from the edges of the cut-out afteai and a seeond line extending along and set back a predeterinined distance from the edges and fold line of the end panel, whereby the food commodity is placed within the dished portion of the liner, covered by the folding over of the end panel and that portion of the liner sheet attached thereto, sealed under vacuum from the atmosphere about its edges by the bonding of the liner material to itself along a bond line extending generally parallel to but spaced apart from the edges of the end panel, and the side panels may be folded over the end flap and secured to each other in overlapping relation.

8 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/49 Bonini 99174 12/52 Ramsbottom et a1. 99-174 8/61 Barr 99-174 X 4/62 De Long 88-174 10/62 Wichman 99174 X FOREIGN PATENTS 9/58 France. 3/60 Great Britain.

A. LOUIS MONACELL, Primary Examiner.

ABRAHAM H. WINKELSTEIN, Examiner.

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