Manually Openable Flexible Film Package
AssigneeBemis Company, Inc.
InventorsCraig I. McDougal, Stephen J. Klein, Zachary C. Heenan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is directed to packages having a thermoformed product receiving cavity for containing the product formed from a first flexible heat shrinkable film and a lidding film covering the thermoformed product receiving cavity formed from a second flexible non-heat shrinkable film. The present invention also includes an opening tab on each of the two flexible films which are aligned with each other such that each of the tabs has a sufficient surface area facing the other tab but not adhered to it to render each tab readily manually graspable. The opening tab of the first flexible heat shrinkable film includes a distal portion which is curled to improve its graspability.
Claims20
A manually openable package for containing a product comprising:
- a thermoformed product receiving cavity for containing the product formed from a first flexible heat shrinkable film;
- a lidding film covering the thermoformed product receiving cavity formed from a second flexible non-heat shrinkable film;
- a hermetic seal comprising a perimeter heat seal circumventing the thermoformed product receiving cavity formed by heat sealing a portion of the second flexible non-heat shrinkable film to a portion of the first flexible heat shrinkable film;
- wherein only one of the films is readily frangible and renders the heat seal manually peelable;
- an opening tab on each of the films which are aligned with each other;
- wherein each of the opening tabs has a sufficient surface area facing the other tab but not adhered to it to render the opening tab readily manually graspable;
- a curled distal portion on the opening tab of the first flexible heat shrinkable film to assist in grasping of the tab which is formed when the first flexible heat shrinkable film is heat shrunk around the product;
- wherein the opening tabs of the films are adapted to pull away from each other such that the readily frangible film cleanly peels apart from itself to rupture the perimeter heat seal and open the package.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.