US 3,958,391 AGranted

Vacuum packaging method and apparatus

AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Furukawa Seisakusho

InventorEitaro Kujubu

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Abstract

A quantity of livestock meat for food is charged into a package bag made of a heat-shrinkable plastic film of substantially tubular shape of constant overall length sufficient for packaging variable quantities of the meat, the bag having a bottom end closed by transverse heat sealing and an open top end and being thus charged in a manner to leave an unfilled part between the seal and the meat, a surplus bag part being left outside of the seal, and this surplus part just outside of the seal is transversely and partially cut for subsequent serverence of the surplus bag part from the package bag, which is then immersed in hot water for a few seconds to cause shrinkage of the bag tightly around the meat. The vacuum packaging operation is advantageously accomplished in vacuum chambers formed by a continuity of vacuum boxes mating with corresponding platform plates in a vacuum packaging apparatus.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method of vacuum packaging a commodity, particularly a livestock meat for food, which comprises:

charging a specific quantity of the commodity into a package bag made of a heat-shrinkable plastic film of a substantially constant overall length, which is sufficient for packaging said quantity ranging from a relatively small quantity to a relatively large quantity of the commodity, and having a closed bottom end and an open top end, in a manner to leave a specific unfilled part at the bottom end of the bag;
placing the bag thus charged in a specific position in an evacuating device of a vacuum packaging apparatus;
placing the bag in said specific position under a vacuum thereby to evacuate the interior thereof, excessive inflation of the bag being prevented by means provided therefor;
sealing the bag with a seal part extending transversely thereacross on the side of the commodity opposite from the bottom end of the bag, a specific unfilled part being left between the seal part and the commodity;
at the same time cutting the bag with a cut extending transversely thereacross except for an uncut part for temporarily retaining the open end of the bag, constituting a surplus part, attached to the remainder of the bag, the cut being on the outer side of the seal part;
removing the surplus part;
and immersing the resulting vacuum package in hot water, preferably at a temperature of 80.degree.C to 85.degree.C for a period of the order of 2 to 10 seconds thereby to cause heat shrinkage of the bag.

4 more elements

Apparatus for vacuum packaging a commodity comprising:

a plurality of support members each adapted to hold thereon a package bag made of a heat-shrinkable plastic film and having a closed bottom end and an open top end and containing a specific quantity of a commodity with a specific unfilled part left at the bottom end of the bag;
a plurality of vacuum structures each adapted to mate with one of the support members to form therebetween an air-tight chamber accomodating the package bag;
means for conveying the vacuum structures at a constant linear speed and with constant spacing therebetween along a first circulatory path;
means for conveying the support members at said constant linear speed and with said constant spacing therebetween along a second circulatory path superimposed in a portion thereof relatively with the first circulatory path over a portion thereof and for moving the support members relatively into mating state with respective vacuum structures over said superimposition portion and separating the support members from the respective vacuum structures at the end of said portion;
means for evacuating said air-tight chambers;
means for preventing excessive inflation of each bag under vacuum;
means provided within said chamber for sealing each bag with a seal part extending transversely thereacross on the side of the commodity opposite from the bottom end of the bag, a specific unfilled part being left between the seal part and the commodity;
means provided within said chamber for cutting the bag with a cut extending transversely thereacross;
means for restoring the pressure within each vacuum chamber to atmospheric pressure upon completion of vacuum packaging therewithin;
and
means for transferring packages thus vacuum packaged from the support members onto means for conveying the packages to a succeeding process.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 05/632,123Filed 14 Nov 1975
Priority: JA 49-13446321 Nov 1974
Granted: 25 May 1976
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B65D 75/002
Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g.…:…
B65B 31/022
Filling, closing, or filling and closing, containers or wrappers in chambers maintained under vacuum or superatmospheric pressure or containing…
B65D 53/02
Sealing or packing elements ; Sealings formed by liquid or plastics material: collars or rings
B65D 77/12
Container closures formed after filling: by collapsing and flattening the mouth portion of the container and securing without folding, e.g. by…