Inwardly reformable endwall for a container and a method of packaging a product in the container

A method of packaging a food product in a container having a hollow body which is open at one end and closed at an opposite end by a thin meal endwall, said endwall having a panel portion surrounded by a frustoconical wall portion which terminates into a narrow rim which is connected to said body, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) filling said container with a food product elevated to a preselected temperature;
• (b) closing and sealing the open end of said container in a vacuum chamber;
• (c) heating said filled and sealed container to a desired temperature and then cooling said container;
• and
• (d) reforming said endwall inwardly into said container in a controlled manner by an external mechanism and simultaneously displacing said panel portion inwardly into said container by rolling at least one end of said frustoconical wall portion inwardly or outwardly to reduce the height of the wall portion.

A method of packaging a product in a container having a substantially cylindrical sidewall open at one end and closed at an opposite end by a thin metal endwall, said endwall having a central panel portion surrounded by an outwardly open curvilinear channel having an inner wall portion connected to said central panel portion and an outer wall portion which terminates in a narrow rim which is connected to said sidewall, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) filling said container with a product;
• (b) closing and sealing the open end of said container;
• (c) heating said filled and sealed container to an elevated temperature and then cooling said container to room temperature;
• and
• (d) reforming said endwall to move said central panel portion inwardly into said container by rolling at least one end of said outer wall portion of said curvilinear channel to decrease its length and move said panel portion inwardly into the container and thereby reduce the internal volume of said container.