Method for forming a reclose mechanism on a reclosable package

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11034469-B2
Application number	US-201816211998-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2018
Priority date	Oct 25, 2005
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

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, and sidewall portions of the food product-receiving compartment upstanding from the bottom wall;
the package further including 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;
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 at least partially into a channel of the rail to form a lug in the rigid lid wall.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil at least partially into the channel to form the lug in the rigid lid wall includes forming the lug to be complimentary to a recess of the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil at least partially into the channel to form the lug in the rigid lid wall includes deforming a region of the rigid lid wall into the channel of the rail.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil at least partially into the channel to form the lug in the rigid lid wall includes producing a separation force of the lug and a recess of the one sidewall portion that is greater than if the lug of the lid was formed prior to closing the food product-receiving compartment opening with the lid.

5. 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 at least partially into the channel to form the lug of the rigid lid wall includes moving each of the anvils at least partially into the channel to form a plurality of lugs in the rigid lid wall.

6. The method of claim 5 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.

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

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

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

10. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil at least partially into the rail to form the lug in the rigid lid wall includes moving the anvil toward the rail adjacent a corner of a rectangular recessed area of the lid that includes the rigid lid wall.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil at least partially into the channel to form the lug in the rigid lid wall includes forming the lug to have a length along the rigid lid wall that is shorter than a length of a recess of the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil into contact with the inner surface of the rigid lid wall includes moving the anvil into a cavity of the rigid lid defined at least in part by the lower horizontal cover and the rigid lid wall.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the anvil into contact with the inner surface of the rigid lid wall includes positioning the anvil so that the rigid lid wall and the one sidewall portion are between the anvil and the rail.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the base member includes a ridge portion extending outward from the one sidewall portion and locating the outer surface of the one sidewall portion proximate the rail includes locating the ridge portion above the rail.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein locating the outer surface of the one sidewall portion of the food product-receiving compartment proximate the rail includes sliding the package along the rail.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the package includes providing the rigid base member having a unitary, one-piece construction.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the rigid lid includes 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.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the lug and the recess have mating profiles.

Assignees

• Kraft Foods Group Brands Llc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B65D43/021 Primary

  only on the inside, or a part turned to the inside, of the mouth (B65D43/0206 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65D2207/00

  Standing packages · CPC title

• B65D2543/00703

  Dots · CPC title

• B65D2543/00731

  Groove or hollow bead · CPC title

• Y10T29/49908

  Joining by deforming · CPC title