WO2001034473A1

WO2001034473A1 - Method and apparatus for packing food casing strands as well as the package obtained

Info

Publication number: WO2001034473A1
Application number: PCT/GB2000/004098
Authority: WO
Inventors: Scott James Rossi; Chris J. Meyer
Original assignee: Teepak Investments, Inc.
Priority date: 1999-11-08
Filing date: 2000-10-24
Publication date: 2001-05-17
Also published as: AU1040701A

Abstract

The invention comprises a method and an apparatus for packaging a plurality of cylindrically shaped shirred food casing strands (12), having a longitudinal axes (14), about the same lengths and first and second ends. The method includes the steps of: a) providing a hopper (22) with bottom (24, 26, 28) and side walls (30, 32) for receipt of a plurality of the food casing strands (12); b) lining the hopper (22) with a single sheet of film material (34) having a width (36) greater than the length (16) of the strands (12) so that the film (34) has first and second portions (38, 40) that extend upwardly beyond both side walls (30, 32) of the hopper; c) filling the hopper (22) with the food casing strands (12) and orienting them so that the longitudinal axes of the strands are parallel with each other and with the sidewalls of the hopper; d) bringing the first and second film portions (38, 40) together above the strands while tightening the film around the strands; and e) sealing the first and second film portions (38, 40) together to form a seal to make a tight film package around the strands.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKING FOOD CASING STRANDS AS WELL AS THE PACKAGE OB TAΓNED

Background of the Invention

This invention relates to packages for food casing strands.

Food casing strands are shiired tubular film food casing. "Shirred" means

radially folded so as to be compressed along the longitudinal axis of the tubular film.

Such shiπed food casings are packaged for storage and shipment to food

processors, e.g. meat packers making cylindrically shaped sausage product

Numerous types of packages for shirred food casing have been used in the prior art Such packages have included rigid cartons as well as net and film wrappings.

Firm wrappings have had certain advantages, e.g. they are light weight and usually provide a moisture barrier to prevent dehydration of moisturized strand products.

Strand packages having a hexagonal shape and enclosed in a sealed packaging film are described in U.S. Patents 5,137,153; 5,228,572; and 5,328,031. Such packages have advantages due to their stability and the fact that when a particular

configuration is used, a convenient fifty strands may be encased in a single package.

This number makes such strand packages easy to handle and makes keeping records

of the number of strands used very simple as opposed to packages containing

inconvenient numbers such as 37 or 52 strands. Unfortunately, a problem with such

packages has been the difficulty in forming the package, e.g. as described in U.S.

Patents 5,328,031 and 5,467,576. An attempt to avoid such difficulty in packaging is descπbed in U.S. Patent 5,391,108. Unfortunately, the packaging method described in

U.S. Patent 5,391,108 is still very complex, requiring dual film supply rolls and dual

seals, dual film cutoff and complex machinery to form the package.

Another difficulty with film packages for food casing strands has been that a

film that is strong enough to provide a secure package is generally difficult to open for

easy removal of the packaged product.

This problem has been addressed by providing adhesive opening strips or areas that can be readily removed to provide access to package contents.

Unfortunately such adhesive strips have caused yet another problem in that after removal they tend to stick to undesirable areas creating disorganization and a generally messy environment.

In another known film packaging system, tape is provided along the length of the package and perforations or other weakened areas are provided along the edges of the tape so that a portion of packaging film is removed with the tape. The adhesive portion of the tape is thus covered by removed film which prevents problems associated with sticky removed tape. Such a package still has some disadvantages in that the film must be processed to provide weakened areas and there is a cost

associated with the use of adhesive tape. Further, such a package cannot be easily

reclosed.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for

making a readily openable film package for food casing strands which overcomes the

previously described disadvantages of prior art methods and apparatus while permitting retention of a hexagonal shape, especially a hexagonal shape as described

in U.S. Patents 5,137,153 and 5,228,572 incorporated herein by reference.

It is further an object of the invention to provide a film package for such

hexagonally shaped groups of food casing strands that has a single longitudinal seam seal and comprises two end seals.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a cross sectional end view of a preferred embodiment of an apparatus of the invention showing a film lined hopper and contained food casing strands.

Figure 2 is the apparatus shown in Figure 1 showing movement of anvils 74 and 76 toward each other from the position of Figure 1 and showing strand retainer 73 in contact with top strands.

Figure 3 is the apparatus shown in Figure 2 with retainer 73 withdrawn. Figure 4 is the apparatus shown in Figure 3 with top portions 38 and 40 moved into contact.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a package of the invention.

Brief Description of the Invention

The invention comprises a method for packaging a plurality of cylindrically

shaped shirred food casing strands, having longitudinal axes, about the same lengths

and first and second ends. The method includes the steps of:

a) providing a hopper with bottom and side walls for receipt of a plurality

of the food casing strands; b) lining the hopper with a single sheet of film material having a width

greater than the length of the strands so that the film has first and second portions that

extend upwardly beyond both side walls of the hopper:

c) filling the hopper with the food casing strands and orienting them so that

the longitudinal axes of the strands are parallel with each other and with the sidewaUs

of the hopper and so that the first ends of the strands lie in about a same first plane and

so that the second ends of the strands lie in about a same second plane;

d) bringing the first and second film portions together above the strands while tightening the film around the strands; and e) sealing the first and second film portions together to form a seal to make a tight film package around the strands.

The invention further includes an apparatus including means for practicing the above method steps and further includes a package including a plurality of cylindrically shaped shirred food casing strands encompassed by a plastic film, where the food casings have longitudinal axes, about the same lengths and first and second ends. The strands in the package are oriented so that the longitudinal axes of the strands are parallel with each other and so that the first ends of the strands lie in about

a same first plane and so that the second ends of the strands lie in about a same second

plane. The film encompassing the strands has a single seal in a longitudinal direction

parallel to the longitudinal axes of the strands and comprises a first end seal beyond

the first plane and a second end seal beyond the second plane. Preferably, the strands

have a hexagonal configuration where the center row of strands is one strand shorter

than strand rows adjacent the center row of strands. Detailed Description of the Invention

"Food Casing" as used herein means a tubular flexible film material suitable

for being stuffed with food product, e.g. meat or cheese. The most common of such

food casings are sausage casings. Such food casings may be made of essentially any

film material suitable for food contact; provided that, the film has sufficient strength,

and flexibility for stuffing with food product. Examples of suitable film materials

include cellulose, collagen and synthetic plastics. The films may be unreinforced or

reinforced with fibrous substances that are woven materials, felted materials, e.g.

paper, or materials that are randomly distributed within the continuous phase of a film matrix. Especially suitable film materials for non-edible casings are cellulose films that are either regenerated from a solution of a cellulose derivative, e.g. xanthate viscose, or precipitated from a solution of cellulose, e.g. cellulose in a tertiary amine oxide. When such cellulose food casings are reinforced, e.g. with a paper web, they

are known as "fibrous" food casings.

"Food Casing Strand" as used herein means a tubular food casing that is longitudinally compressed along its longitudinal axis by means of folds or pleats in a manner similar to the folds of an accordion. Such folds or pleats may extend radially

around the casing to effect the longitudinal compression. Such longitudinally folded

food casing strands are known in the art as "shirred" strands. In general, such shirred

food casing strands in a package of the invention are cylindrically shaped and have

longitudinal axes, about the same lengths and first and second ends

"Packaging" as used herein means enclosing a plurality of food casing strands

within a film packaging material. Such film packaging materials may be made from natural or synthetic materials, e.g. in the form of regenerated cellulose, polyvinylidene

chloride, or polyolefm. Examples of suitable polyolefin film packaging materials are

low density polyethylene and polypropylene.

The "hopper" provided in accordance with the invention has bottom and side

walls and is sized for receipt of a plurality of the food casing strands. The hopper is

generally open at the top so that the stands may be placed into the hopper. Preferably,

the sidewaUs and bottom walls of the hopper are movable to accommodate different strand sizes and may assist in orienting the strands in a desired position within the hopper. The hopper also may be provided with a vibrator to assist in the orientation.

A moveable projection is desirably centrally provided in the bottom of the hopper in an orientation that is parallel to the sidewaUs and to the intended orientation of the longitudinal axis of strands loaded into the hopper. The projection assists in orienting strands of food casing in a hexagonal configuration having a center row of strands that is one strand shorter than strand rows adjacent the center row of strands. The projection may be present beneath the film when the strands are loaded into the hopper so that the center row of strands is elevated, by a distance about equal to the

radius of the strand, relative to adjacent strand rows. The projection may be

withdrawn to permit film to be tightened about the strands.

Prior to loading of strands into the hopper, the hopper is lined with a single

sheet of film material having a width greater than the length of the strands and so that

the film has first and second portions that extend upwardly beyond both sidewaUs of

the hopper and above strands contained in the hopper. Lining of the hopper is usually

accomplished by withdrawing film from a roll, over the top edge of a first one of the sidewalls, down the inside of the first sidewall, across the bottom of the hopper

(across the bottom walls), and up the other second sidewall to above the top of the

second sidewall to form the second upwardly extending portion of the film. The roll

may be located near an upper edge of the first sidewall or may be pulled upwardly

from a roll over the top edge of the first sidewall. The portion of the film extending

over the top of the first sidewall forms the first portion of the film.

The hopper is usually manually filled with the food casing strands and roughly

manually oriented so that the longitudinal axes of the strands are parallel with each other and with the sidewalls of the hopper and so that the first ends of the strands lie in about a same first plane and so that the second ends of the strands lie in about a same

second plane. Orientation may be assisted by a moveable hopper end wall that pushes the ends of strands so that they at least partly lie in a single plane, by moveable sidewaUs, by vibrating the hopper with a vibrator and by means of the previously described projection.

To form the package, the first and second film portions of the film are brought together above the strands while tightening the film around the strands, at which time the bottom protrusion, if present, may be withdrawn. The first and second portions

are then sealed together to form a longitudinal seal to make a tight film package.

Portions of the film that extend beyond the first and second end planes (end portions)

may also be sealed together to form end seals.

Usually, the first and second portions are brought together and sealed by means

of sealing anvils that move along the top of the hopper to push the film portions

together and seal them. The sealing anvils are usually heat sealing anvils that provide heat and pressure to the first and second portions to seal them together. Optionally,

the first and second portions may be seamed together by means of a glue or cement,

e.g. cyanoacrylate adhesive.

After the seal is formed, perforations may be provided in the film along the

seals, e.g., in the longitudinal seal, by means of at least one puncturing device such as

a serrated bar or puncturing needles below the anvil.

The package is removed from the hopper and the hopper is again lined with film to repeat the process.

The invention may be better understood by reference to the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of an apparatus of the invention which may be used to practice the method.

Figures 1-4, show a packaging apparatus 10 for packaging a plurality of cylindrically shaped shirred food casing strands 12, having longitudinal axes 14 (best seen in Figure 5), about the same lengths 16 and first and second ends 18 and 20.

The apparatus includes a hopper 22 with bottom walls 24, 26 and 28 and side walls 30 and 32 for receipt of a plurality of the food casing strands 12.

Figures 1-4 show apparatus for lining the hopper 22 with a single sheet of film

material 34 having a width 36 greater than the length 16 of the strands 12 so that the

film 34 has first and second portions 38 and 40 that extend upwardly beyond both side

walls 30 and 32 of the hopper 22. The lining apparatus includes nip rolls 42 and 44,

supply 46 from a supply roll, and film retainer 48.

The hopper is filled with food casing strands 12 from above in the direction of

arrow 52 either manually or from a strand supply source 54. The strands 12 are oriented within the hopper either manually or by orienting

apparatus that may include a moveable hopper end wall 56 that pushes ends 20 of the

strands so that the first ends 18 of the strands lie in about a same first plane 58 and so

that the second ends 20 of the strands lie in about a same second plane 60. The

orienting apparatus may further include moveable bottom walls 24 and 26 that move

in the directions of arrows 62 and 64 and moveable sidewalls 30 and 32 that move in

the direction of arrows 66 and 68. The bottom and sidewalls may be moved manually

or by means of moving apparatus such as attached fluid actuated cylinders. The

moveable bottom and sidewalls permit different size casings to be accommodated and may assist in orienting the strands so that the longitudinal axes 14 of the strands are parallel with each other and with the sidewalls 30 and 32 of the hopper 22. The orienting apparatus preferably also includes moveable projection 70 that can be moved to project into the bottom of hopper 22 to assists in orienting the strands of food casing in a hexagonal configuration having a center row 72 of strands that is one strand less than the number of strands in the rows adjacent center row 72. The projection is designed to enter the bottom of the hopper by a distance about equal to

the radius 74 of strands 12 and when used with fifty strands permits formation of a

hexagonal fifty strand package. A similar moveable projection 73 may be provided at

the top of the hopper to assist in preventing the plurality of strands from rising, as the

film is tightened.

The packaging apparatus includes apparatus for bringing the first and second

film portions 38 and 40 together above the strands. In the preferred embodiment

shown, the first and second film portions 38 and 40 are brought together by sealing anvils 74 and 76 that move along the top of the strands to push the film portions

together. Top orienting brackets 82 and 84 are provided to assist in obtaining the

correct top angle of the package for a proper hexagonal configuration. Anvil gripping

surfaces 78 and 80 made of a high friction material such as rubber, are provided to

grip the film portions after they are pushed together. Film retainer 48 may then be

released and the film may be cut from the supply roll by cutter 90.

The top portions 38 and 40 are then sealed together by heat from anvils 74 and

76 to form longitudinal seal 86. Top portion 40 extends beyond the seal to assist in gripping the package and to provide material for reclosing the package in the event that all contained strands are not used when the package is initially opened. A perforated portion 88 may be formed in the package along longitudinal seal 86 by means of perforator 89.

Ends of the film may then be sealed to form end seals 92 and 94 to complete the package.

Claims

1. A method for packaging a plurality of cylindrically shaped shirred food casing strands, each having longitudinal axes, being about the same lengths and having first and second ends, which comprises: a) providing a hopper with bottom and side walls for receipt of a plurality of the food casing strands; b) lining the hopper with a single sheet of film material having a width greater than the length of the strands and so that the film has first and second portions that extend upwardly beyond both side walls of the hopper: c) filling the hopper with the food casing strands and orienting them so that the longitudinal axes of the strands are parallel with each other and with the sidewalls of the hopper and so that the first ends of the strands lie in about a same first plane and so that the second ends of the strands lie in about a same second plane; d) bringing said first and second film portions together above the strands while tightening the film around the strands; and e) sealing the first and second film portions together to form a seal to make a tight film package around the strands.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the film is perforated along the seal.

3. The method of either preceding claim wherein the 5 sidewalls and bottom walls moved to assist in orienting the strands .

4. The method of any preceding claim wherein a moveable projection is provided in the bottom of the hopper and 0 which when moved assists in orienting fifty strands of food casing in a hexagonal configuration having a center row of strands that is one strand shorter than strand rows adjacent the center row of strands.

5. The method of any preceding claim wherein the sealing is heat sealing.

6. The method of any preceding claim wherein the film is supplied from a single film roll and the film surrounding the strands is severed from the roll after heat sealing.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the first and second film portions are sealed together by means of sealing anvils moving along the top of the strands to push the film portions together and seal them.

8. An apparatus for packaging a plurality of cylindrically shaped shirred food casing strands, each having longitudinal axes, being about the same lengths and having first and second ends, which comprises: a) a hopper with bottom and side walls for receipt of a plurality of the food casing strands; b) means for lining the hopper with a single sheet of film material having a width greater than the length of the strands so that the film has first and second portions that extend upwardly beyond both side walls of the hopper; c) means for filling the hopper with the food casing strands; d) means for orienting the strands so that the longitudinal axes of the strands are parallel with each other and with the sidewalls of the hopper and so that the first ends of the strands lie in about a same first plane and so that the second ends of the strands lie in about a same second plane; e) means for bringing said first and second film portions together above the strands; f) means for tightening the film around the strands; and g) means for sealing the first and second film portions together to form a seal to make a tight film package around the strands.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 comprising means for perforating the film along the seal.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 or claim 9 comprising means for moving the sidewalls and bottom walls to assist in orienting the strands.

11. The apparatus of any one of claims 8 - 10 wherein a moveable projection is provided in the bottom of the hopper that assists in orienting fifty strands of food casing in a hexagonal configuration having a center row of strands that is one strand shorter than strands rows adjacent the center row of strands.

12. The apparatus of any one of claims 8 - 11 wherein the sealing means is a heat sealing means.

13. The apparatus of any one of claims 8 - 12 wherein the first and second film portions are sealed together by means of sealing anvils moving along the top of the strands to push the film portions together and seal them.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 comprising means for puncturing the film along the seal using at least one puncturing means that is below and moves with at least one of the anvils.

15. A package comprising a plurality of cylindrically shaped shirred food casing strands encompassed by a plastic film, said food casings having longitudinal axes, being about the same lengths and having first and second ends, the strands in the package being oriented so that the longitudinal axes of the strands are parallel with each other and so that the first ends of the strands lie in about a same first plane and so that the second ends of the strands lie in about a same second plane, wherein the film encompassing the strands has a single seal in a longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal axes of the strands and comprises a first end seal beyond the first plane and a second end seal beyond the second plane.

16. The package of claim 15 wherein the strands have hexagonal configuration having a center row of strands that is one strand shorter than strand rows adjacent the center row of strands.

17. The package of claim 16 wherein the package contains fifty strands.

18. The package of claim 15 wherein perforations are provided in the film beside the single longitudinal seal.