Microwavable frozen food package

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9440780-B2
Application number	US-201313918283-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2013
Priority date	Jun 14, 2012
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A container includes a sleeve, a first end closure, and a second end closure. The first end closure closes off a first end of the sleeve and the second end closes off an opposite second end of the sleeve. The sleeve and end closures cooperate to define an interior region therebetween that receives products therein.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A package comprising
a container including a sleeve including a top wall, an opposite bottom wall spaced apart from the top wall, a first side wall interconnecting the top and bottom walls, and a second side wall spaced apart from the first side wall and arranged to interconnect the top and bottom walls, a first end closure interconnecting the first and second side walls and the top and bottom walls along a first end of the sleeve, and a second end closure interconnecting the first and second side walls and the top and bottom walls along a second end of the sleeve and
an opening system formed in the first side wall of the sleeve and configured to provide a mouth opening into an interior region formed in the container to cause products stored in the interior region to be accessible by a user in response to application of a first separation force applied to the top wall along the first side wall and a second separation force applied to the top wall opposite the first separation force along the first side wall after heating of the package has completed without causing a passageway to be formed in the container before heating or during heating so that steam and pressure are generated in a controlled manner during heating
wherein the opening system comprises a heat-sealable sub-layer formed from at least one polypropylene/alpha-olefin copolymer and at least one polyethylene polymer resin.

2. The package of claim 1 , wherein the container is made from a film including an outer protective layer and an inner layer and the opening system includes a trench formed in the outer protective layer and arranged to extend inwardly through the outer protective layer to the inner layer, wherein the inner layer includes the heat-sealable sub-layer.

3. The package of claim 2 , wherein the trench is defined by a first trench wall, a second trench wall spaced apart from the first trench wall, and a trench floor provided by the inner layer.

4. The package of claim 3 , wherein the trench is arranged to extend between the first and second end closures.

5. A package comprising
a container including a sleeve including a top wall, an opposite bottom wall spaced apart from the top wall, a first side wall interconnecting the top and bottom walls, and a second side wall spaced apart from the first side wall and arranged to interconnect the top and bottom walls, a first end closure interconnecting the first and second side walls and the top and bottom walls along a first end of the sleeve, and a second end closure interconnecting the first and second side walls and the top and bottom walls along a second end of the sleeve and
an opening system formed in the first side wall of the sleeve and configured to provide a mouth opening into an interior region formed in the container to cause products stored in the interior region to be accessible by a user in response to application of a first separation force applied to the top wall along the first side wall and a second separation force applied to the top wall opposite the first separation force along the first side wall after heating of the package has completed without causing a passageway to be formed in the container before heating or during heating so that steam and pressure are generated in a controlled manner during heating,
wherein the container is made from a film including an outer protective layer and an inner layer and the opening system includes a trench formed in the outer protective layer and arranged to extend inwardly through the outer protective layer to the inner layer,
wherein the inner layer includes a heat-sealable sublayer formed from at least one polypropylene/alpha-olefin copolymer and at least one polyethylene polymer resin,
wherein the trench is defined by a first trench wall, a second trench wall spaced apart from the first trench wall, and a trench floor provided by the inner layer,
wherein the trench is arranged to extend between the first and second end closures,
wherein a depth of the trench is defined between the outer protective layer and the inner layer and the depth is about 6 μm to about 9 μm.

6. The package of claim 4 , wherein a width of the trench is defined to between the first and second trench walls and the width is about 135 μm.

7. The package of claim 2 , wherein the outer protective layer includes an outer surface arranged to face away from the inner layer and an inner surface arranged to face opposite the outer surface toward the interior region and the inner layer includes an outer surface arranged to face toward the outer protective layer and an inner surface arranged opposite the outer surface of the inner and define the interior region.

8. The package of claim 7 , wherein the trench is defined by a first trench wall arranged to lie between the top and bottom walls and to extend between and interconnect outer and inner surfaces of the outer protective layer, a second trench wall arranged to lie in spaced apart relation to the first trench wall and located between the first trench wall and the bottom wall and arranged to extend between and interconnect outer and inner surfaces of the outer protective layer, and a trench floor provided by the outer surface of the inner layer and arranged to extend between and interconnect the first and second trench walls.

9. The package of claim 8 , wherein the second side wall is arranged to face and lie in confronting relation with ground underlying and supporting the package, the top and bottom walls are arranged to extend in an upward direction away from ground when the package is oriented in an upright position, and the mouth opens in the upward direction so that products stored in the interior region are retained in the interior region by gravity when the package is oriented in the upright position.

10. The package of claim 1 , wherein the container is made from a film including an outer protective layer and an inner layer including a sealant layer defining the interior region and an adhesive layer located between and arranged to interconnect the outer protective layer and the sealant layer and the opening system includes a trench formed in the outer protective layer and arranged to extend inwardly through the outer protective layer to the adhesive layer of the inner layer, wherein the sealant layer includes the heat-sealable sub-layer.

11. The package of claim 10 , wherein the sealant layer includes an outer-skin sub-layer coupled to the adhesive layer of the inner layer and located between the adhesive layer and the interior region, the heat-sealable sub-layer defining the interior region, and a core sub-layer located between and interconnecting the heat-sealable sub-layer and the outer-skin sub-layer.

12. A package comprising
a container including a sleeve including a top wall, an opposite bottom wall spaced apart from the top wall, a first side wall interconnecting the top and bottom walls, and a second side wall spaced apart from the first side wall and arranged to interconnect the top and bottom walls, a first end closure interconnecting the first and second side walls and the top and bottom walls along a first end of the sleeve, and a second end closure interconnecting the first and second side walls and the top and bottom walls along a second end of the sleeve and
an opening system formed in the first side wall of the sleeve and configured to provide a mouth opening into an interior region formed in the container to cause products stored in the interior region to be accessible by a user in response to application of a first separation force applied to the top wall along the first side wall and a second separation force applied to the top wall opposit

Assignees

• Berry Plastics Corp

Inventors

• Su Jau-Ming
• Sofian Charisa
• Wolak Paul Z

Classifications

• B65D2205/02

  Venting holes · CPC title

• B65D81/3461 Primary

  Flexible containers, e.g. bags, pouches, envelopes · CPC title