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US 10,710,788 B2Granted
Hermetic packages with laser scored vent systems
AssigneeBerry Plastics Corporation
InventorsJau-Ming Su, Paul Z. Wolak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hermetically sealed package, for example a freezable microwavable package containing a food product, has a sealing film that includes a vent system that is scored by a laser into the package.
Claims20
A microwaveable heatable package comprising:
- an inner region configured to receive a product;
- a sealing film, the sealing film being comprised of at least one layer of a microwavable film adapted for use in heating the product, the sealing film having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner region of the heatable package being hermetically sealed by at least a portion of the sealing film;
- and
- at least one weakened wall pattern scored by a laser into a portion of the outer surface of the sealing film, the weakened wall pattern having a thickness less than an unscored sealing film thickness, the inner surface adjacent to each wakened wall pattern being directly exposed to pressure generated in the inner region,
- wherein the weakened wall pattern forms a vent pattern having a vent pattern span that is the greater of a vent pattern length and a vent pattern width,
- wherein the inner region has an inner region span that is the greater of an inner region length and an inner region width,
- wherein the vent pattern span is from about 1% to about 50% of the inner region span.
4 more elements
A microwaveable heatable package comprising:
- an inner region configured to receive a product;
- a sealing film, the sealing film being comprised of at least one layer of a microwavable film adapted for use in heating the product, the sealing film having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner region of the heatable package being hermetically sealed by at least a portion of the sealing film;
- and
- at least one weakened wall pattern scored by a laser into a portion of the outer surface of the sealing film, the weakened wall pattern having a thickness less than an unscored sealing film thickness, the inner surface adjacent to each wakened wall pattern being directly exposed to pressure generated in the inner region,
- wherein the weakened wall pattern forms a vent pattern,
- wherein the sealing film has an unscored thickness, and
- wherein the weakened wall pattern thickness is from about 5% to about 30% of the unscored thickness of the sealing film.
4 more elements
A microwaveable heatable package comprising:
- at least one non-linear vent pattern scored into a sealing film by a laser at a depth that does not perforate the sealing film to form a weakened wall pattern, the at least one non-linear vent pattern having a wall thickness of approximately 5 micron to approximately 25 micron, and each vent pattern having a vent pattern span that is the greater of a length and a width of that vent pattern;
- wherein at least a portion of the sealing film is sealed to form a pouch, the pouch having an inner surface defining an inner region that is configured to receive a product therein, at least a portion of the inner surface being adjacent to the weakened wall pattern;
- wherein the pouch is sealed to seal hermetically the product contained in the inner region, the inner region having an inner region span that is equal to the greater of a maximum length and a maximum width of the inner region,
- wherein the vent pattern is from about 2% to about 15% of the inner region span;
- and
- wherein at least a portion of the vent pattern is configured to tear when a pressure generated in the inner region exceeds a predetermined magnitude.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.