Support, package, apparatus and process for making said support and said package

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11084641-B2
Application number	US-201816624349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2018
Priority date	Jun 30, 2017
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

A support includes a central portion configured to receive one or more products, a perimeter band which completely surrounds the central portion, a projection defined at the perimeter band and exhibiting at least one raised portion emerging with respect to the perimeter band and extended away from the central portion. The raised portion includes a through channel crossing the projection and having an access opening which is completely extended at a position spaced from the perimeter band and is configured to enable gas to pass into the through channel through the projection. The central portion and the perimeter band are made of sheet material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A support for at least one product, said support comprising:
at least one central portion configured to receive one or more products;
at least one perimeter band completely surrounding the central portion;
at least one projection defined at the perimeter band and exhibiting at least one raised portion, wherein said raised portion emerges from the perimeter band and extends away from said central portion, the raised portion comprising at least one through channel crossing the projection and having an access opening which extends completely at a position distanced from the perimeter band, said access opening being configured to enable a gas to pass into the through channel through the projection, wherein the access point is vertically distanced from the perimeter band;
wherein the access opening is delimited by a closed-outline free edge, which at any point thereof is vertically distanced from the perimeter band.

2. The support of claim 1 , wherein the projection comprises:
a base portion directly connected to the support,
a lateral wall extending from the base portion away from the central portion,
an upper wall placed to close the lateral wall,
wherein the raised portion is defined by the upper wall and by at least part of the lateral wall of the projection, the access opening being defined on at least one between said lateral wall and said upper closing wall.

3. The support of claim 2 , wherein the lateral wall ends at the top with the closed-outline free edge vertically distanced from the perimeter band, the upper wall being connected and placed to close the free edge of the lateral wall.

4. The support of claim 1 , wherein the projection emerges from the perimeter band.

5. The support of claim 1 , wherein the projection is integrally made with the perimeter band and wherein the perimeter band and the projection are made from a single sheet material.

6. The support of claim 1 , wherein the access opening faces away from the central portion.

7. The support of claim 1 , wherein the support is made at least partially of a plastic material.

8. The support of claim 1 , wherein the support has a polygonal shape to define a plurality of angle portions, the projection being disposed at the perimeter band interposed between two directly adjacent angle portions.

9. The support of claim 1 , wherein the support is flat, said at least one projection emerging from the perimeter band, wherein the projection extends from the perimeter band.

10. The support of claim 1 , wherein the support comprises:
a base defining at least part of the central portion,
a lateral wall transversally emerging from the base to define a containing seat adapted to receive the product, the lateral wall being delimited by the free edge opposite to the base and defining an opening to load the support,
wherein the support further exhibits a terminal flange emerging from the free edge of the lateral wall according to a direction exiting the containing seat, said flange defining at least part of the perimeter band,
wherein the projection emerges from the lateral wall, extends at least partially along said lateral wall and at the end projects above the free edge,
wherein the raised portion of the projection emerges from the terminal flange according to a direction exiting the containing seat of the support.

11. A method of making the support of claim 1 , the method comprising:
providing a sheet material according to a flat configuration,
deforming said sheet material to define the raised portion of the at least one projection,
making at least the through channel with at least said access opening on the raised portion of the projection.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sheet material is of plastic material, and wherein the step of deforming said sheet material is performed by thermoforming.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of deforming the sheet material defines the base, the lateral wall and a terminal flange of the support.

14. A package comprising:
the support of claim 1 ,
at least one product disposed on the central portion of the support,
at least one closing film engaged with at least one portion of the perimeter band and configured to define—cooperatively with the support—a housing compartment for the product.

15. The package of claim 14 , wherein the closing film is applied to the support in order to form:
a vacuum package wherein inside the housing compartment there is a pressure substantially less than the atmospheric pressure (T=20° C., at sea level), the closing film forming a plastic skin at least partially contacting the product and support; or
a hermetically closed package wherein inside the housing compartment there is a modified atmosphere, the closing film being engaged with the perimeter band and distanced from the base of the support.

16. The package of claim 14 , wherein the closing film occludes the access opening of the projection.

17. A method of making a package of claim 14 , the method comprising:
providing a predetermined number of supports, each of said supports being the support of claim 1 ,
positioning one or more products to be packaged at each support,
engaging the closing film with a portion of the perimeter band—cooperatively with the support—the housing compartment of the product.

18. The method of claim 17 , comprising the following steps:
moving a predetermined number of supports from a supplying station towards a packaging station, each support being defined by a respective portion of a base continuous support, or being defined by a respective discrete element,
positioning at least one product at each support,
moving at least one closing film from a respective supplying station towards the packaging station, each closing film being defined by a respective portion of the closing continuous film or being defined by a respective discrete element,
defining inside the packaging station a chamber wherein said support supporting the product and said closing film is housed,
fixing the closing film tightly to at least one portion of the perimeter band to define the housing compartment wherein the product is housed,
the process further comprising at least one of the following steps:
removing at least part of the air inside said chamber through the access opening of at least one projection of the support to define a vacuum package, the step of removing at least part of the air from the chamber is performed at least after the step of engaging the closing film to the support to enable to remove the air present in the housing compartment defined cooperatively with the support and closing film;
introducing at least a gas inside said chamber through the access opening of at least one projection of the support to define a controlled-atmosphere package, the step of introducing at least a gas is performed at least after engaging the closing film to the support.

19. A support for at least one product, said support comprising:
at least one central portion configured to receive one or more products;
at least one perimeter band completely surrounding the central portion;
at least one projection defined at the perimeter band and exhibiting at least one raised portion, wherein said raised portion emerges from the perimeter band and extends away from said central portion, the raised portion comprising at least one through channel crossing the projection and having an access opening which extends completely at a position distanced from the perimeter band, said access openi

Assignees

• Cryovac Llc

Inventors

• Di Fiore Simona
• Benedetti Giulio
• Rizzi Jvanohe

Classifications

• B65D75/305 Primary

  Skin packages · 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

• B65D81/2015

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

• B29D22/003

  Containers for packaging, storing or transporting, e.g. bottles, jars, cans, barrels, tanks · CPC title

• B65B31/02

  Filling, closing, or filling and closing, containers {or wrappers} in chambers maintained under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure or containing a special atmosphere, e.g. of inert gas · CPC title