Method for vacuum skin packaging a product arranged in a tray

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10414567-B2
Application number	US-99399709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2009
Priority date	May 20, 2008
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a vacuum skin packaging process, to a tray suitable for a vacuum skin packaging process and to the package thus obtained. The vacuum skin packaging process of the invention comprises providing a tray loaded with a product said tray comprising a bottom wall, a side wall upwardly extending from said bottom wall and terminating in an outwardly projecting horizontal rim, said side wall comprising at least one hole; placing the product loaded tray in a vacuum chamber; positioning a film above the product loaded tray; forming an airtight contact between the film and the rim of the tray; evacuating air from above the film to bring it into contact with a heating platen to heat the film; evacuating air from within the tray through the at least one hole; introducing air from above the film pushing the film in contact with the product and welding it to the inner surface of the tray closing the at least one hole in the side wall characterized in that the film is held in contact with the heating platen while air begins to be evacuated from within the tray. Preferably the film is positioned above the product loaded tray is a discrete piece of film having the size of the tray thus reducing the amount of film which is scrapped during a vacuum skin packaging process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vacuum skin packaging process comprising the steps of:
providing a vacuum chamber comprising an upper portion opposing a lower tray-holding portion;
placing in the lower tray-holding portion of the vacuum chamber a semi-rigid or rigid tray loaded with a product, the tray comprising a bottom wall, a circumferential side wall upwardly extending from the bottom wall and terminating in an outwardly projecting rim, the side wall comprising at least one hole;
heating a film in contact with the upper portion of the vacuum chamber;
evacuating air from within the tray through the at least one hole while the film is in contact with the upper portion of the vacuum chamber; and
introducing air to push the film from contact with the upper portion to contact the product and weld the film around the product to the whole of the inner surface of the tray not occupied by the product and to close the at least one hole in the side wall.

2. The process according to claim 1 wherein an airtight contact is formed between the film and the rim of the tray before air is evacuated from within the tray through the at least one hole.

3. The process according to claim 1 wherein the film is held in contact with the upper portion of the vacuum chamber by vacuum also while being positioned above the product loaded tray and while an airtight contact is formed between the film and the rim of the tray.

4. The process according to claim 1 wherein the film is positioned above the product loaded tray and secured to the rim of the tray in at least one spot before said product loaded tray is placed in said vacuum chamber.

5. The process according to claim 4 wherein the film is heat-sealed to the whole rim of the tray.

6. The process according to claim 1 wherein the film is a discrete piece of film having the size of the tray.

Assignees

• Palumbo Riccardo
• Cryovac Llc

Inventors

• Palumbo Riccardo

Classifications

• B65D75/305 Primary

  Skin packages · CPC title

• B65D81/2015

  in an at least partially rigid container (B65D81/2038 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65B11/52

  one sheet being rendered plastic, e.g. by heating, and forced by fluid pressure, e.g. vacuum, into engagement with the other sheet and contents, e.g. skin- {, blister-, or bubble-} packaging · CPC title