Method for forming a reclose mechanism on a reclosable package

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10183766-B2
Application number	US-201313913784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2013
Priority date	Oct 25, 2005
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

A food package for sliced food products to be maintained with a fluffed appearance, the package including a rigid base member forming a compartment for receiving the food product and a rigid lid sealed to the compartment. Advantageously, the base member includes a bottom wall and side wall portions that are configured to engage the food product to hold the slices in a fluffed arrangement thereof. Preferably, one or more tapered side wall portions hold the food product upwardly toward the lid and inwardly toward a center of the package. In preferred embodiments, the base member and lid provide a rigid-rigid construction of the food package. In preferred embodiments, the food package is also configured to stand-up in a vertical display orientation and does not require the food product be contained within a sealed pouch within the compartment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a reclose feature of a rigid lid of a package, the method comprising:
providing a package, the package including a rigid base member having a food product-receiving compartment, a bottom wall of the food-product receiving compartment, an opening to the food product-receiving compartment above the bottom wall, sidewall portions of the food product-receiving compartment upstanding from the bottom wall, and a rigid lid closing the opening of the food product-receiving compartment, the rigid lid having a lower horizontal cover extending across the opening of the food product-receiving compartment and a rigid lid wall upstanding vertically from the cover that is configured to extend along an inner surface of one of the sidewall portions of the food product-receiving compartment, the rigid lid having an upper horizontal ridge extending outward from the rigid lid wall and extending transverse to the rigid lid wall which defines at least a portion of an outer periphery of the rigid lid;
locating an outer surface of the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment proximate a rail;
moving an anvil into contact with an inner surface of the rigid lid wall;
moving the anvil toward the rail to form an engaged lug and recess, the lug being formed in the rigid lid wall upstanding from the lower horizontal cover and the recess being formed in the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil toward the rail to form the engaged lug and recess includes forming the lug of the rigid lid wall to be complimentary to the recess of the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil toward the rail to form the engaged lug and recess includes deforming a region of the rigid lid wall into a depression of the rail.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein deforming the region of the rigid lid wall into the depression of the rail includes advancing a portion of the anvil into the depression of the rail.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil toward the rail to form the engaged lug and recess includes producing a separation force of the lug and recess that is greater than if the lug of the lid was formed prior to closing the food product-receiving compartment opening with the lid.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil into contact with the inner surface of the rigid lid wall includes moving a plurality of anvils into contact with the inner surface of the rigid lid wall and moving the anvil toward the rail to form the engaged lug and recess includes moving the anvils toward the rail to form a plurality of lugs in the rigid lid wall engaged with recesses of the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein moving the plurality of anvils into contact with the inner surface of the rigid lid wall includes moving the anvils along substantially parallel paths toward the inner surfaces of the rigid lid wall.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the package includes sealing the lid to the base member.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising heating the anvil.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the lid and base member are thermoformed.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil toward the rail to form the engaged lug and recess includes moving the anvil toward the rail adjacent a corner of a rectangular recessed area of the lid that includes the rigid lid portion.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil toward the rail to form the engaged lug and recess includes forming the lug to have a length along the rigid lid wall that is shorter than a length of the recess of the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment.

13. A method of forming a reclose feature of a rigid lid of a container, the method comprising:
providing a package, the package including a rigid base member having a food product-receiving compartment, a bottom wall of the food product-receiving compartment, an opening to the food product-receiving compartment above the bottom wall, sidewall portions of the food product-receiving compartment upstanding from the bottom wall, and a ridge portion extending transverse to one of the sidewall portions of the food product-receiving compartment and outward from the food product-receiving compartment, the package further including a rigid lid closing the opening of the food product-receiving compartment, the rigid lid including a lower horizontal cover portion extending across the opening of the food product-receiving compartment and a rigid lid portion upstanding vertically from the horizontal cover portion, wherein the rigid lid portion is configured to extend along an inner surface of the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment, the rigid lid further including an upper horizontal ridge extending transverse to the rigid lid portion;
locating an outer surface of the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment proximate a rail with the ridge portion extending transverse to the one sidewall portion and above the rail;
positioning adjacent regions of the rigid lid portion and the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment between an anvil and the rail; and
moving the anvil toward the rail to form an engaged lug and a recess while the ridge portion extends transverse to the one sidewall portion and above the rail, the lug being formed in the rigid lid portion and the recess being formed in the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein moving the anvil toward the rail to form the engaged lug and recess includes forming the lug of the rigid lid portion to be complimentary to the recess of the one sidewall portion of the compartment.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein positioning the adjacent regions of the rigid lid portion and the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment between the anvil and the rail includes aligning the regions with a depression of the rail and moving the anvil toward the rail to form the engaged lug and recess includes deforming the region of the rigid lid portion into the depression of the rail.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein moving the anvil toward the rail to form the engaged lug and recess includes advancing at least a portion of the anvil into a depression of the rail.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising heating the anvil.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
positioning another region of the rigid lid portion and an adjacent region of the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment between a second anvil and the rail; and
moving the second anvil toward the rail to form an engaged second lug of the rigid lid portion and a second recess of the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein positioning the adjacent regions of the rigid lid portion and the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment between the anvil and the rail includes locating an outer surface of the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment adjacent the rail and moving the anvil toward the rail to form the engaged lug and recess includes directly contacting the anvil with an inner surface of the region of the rigid lid portion.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising shif

Assignees

• Kraft Foods Group Brands Llc

Inventors

• Hinze Bonita M
• Evenson Chad Michael
• Ives Andrew Scott

Classifications

• B65D2543/00814

  Dots · CPC title

• B65D2543/00703

  Dots · CPC title

• B65D2543/00194

  square or rectangular · CPC title

• B65B7/2857 Primary

  and the container rim · CPC title

• B65D2543/00731

  Groove or hollow bead · CPC title