US 2004/0062840 A1Published application

Pressure relief valve for food product packages

OwnerMark D. Jamisoninventor

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Abstract

The present invention provides a pressure relief valve for a flexible pouch which is integrated directly into the flexible pouch material. The valve permits excess of gas to dissipate through the valve mechanism but does not permit the reentry of air (hence oxygen) which maintains the food product fresh. The valve is integrated into the pouch material without implanting a fitment. The nature of the valve design results in the closing of the channels of the valve when gas is not discharging through the valve. A secondary purpose of the valve is to maintain the pressure in the pouch below an amount that can bloat the pouch to the extent that the seals can rupture and permit oxygen penetration or spilling of the contents outside the pouch. A nitrogen cap is maintained in the pouch thereby ensuring freshness of the product stored in the pouch.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A flexible pouch, comprising:

a) opposed sheets of flexible polymeric film material sealed together around a peripheral edge of each enclosing a storage chamber there between for a foodstuff to be stored therein, the flexible polymeric film material having a pre-selected film suppleness;
and
b) at least one pressure relief valve formed directly in the flexible polymeric film material, the at least pressure relief valve including at least one valve entrance, and at least one channel passageway terminating in a valve outlet which define a passageway from the storage chamber to the exterior of the pouch, the at least one channel passageway having an effective tortuosity which, in combination with the pre-selected film suppleness, results in opening of the at least one pressure relief valve when a threshold pressure is surpassed in the storage chamber to permit an excess of gas generated by the food stuff to be vented through the pressure relief valve and when the pressure drops below the threshold pressure the channel passageway closes at one or more points along its length thus substantially inhibiting back-flow of air back into the storage chamber.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.