Method and apparatus for forming a slice of a food item having a heat tack seal

A food packaging device for producing individually wrapped slices of a food item from a continuous flattened tube of wrapping material with the food item therein, the flattened tube having a front face and a rear face, the device comprising:

• a registration station comprising a cleat aligned with one of a plurality of cleats of a heating station so as to form a registration line when said food item is positioned therebetween and for producing adjacent sections of said flattened tube separated from each other by registration lines, wherein each of said registration lines is formed by said registration station pressing the front face and rear face of the tube material along an area transverse to the length of the tube such that the food item is squeezed out of said area;
• a conveyor to transport said continuous tube of the food item;
• said heating station comprising a plurality of cleats mounted on a rotatable cylinder and disposed downstream of the registration station to heat said adjacent sections of said food item from said registration station at said registration lines for a predetermined time;
• and
• a sealing station to receive said adjacent sections of said food item from said heating station and to heat said registration lines to form a tack seal at said registration lines.

A foot packaging device for producing individually wrapped slices of a food item from a continuous flattened tube of wrapping material with the food item therein, the flattened tube having a front face and a rear face, the device comprising:

• a registration station for producing adjacent sections of said flattened tube separated from each other by registration lines, wherein each of said registration lines are formed by said registration station pressing the front face and rear face of the tube material along an area transverse to the length of the tube such that the food item is squeezed out of said area;
• a conveyor to transport said continuous tube of the food item;
• a heating station comprising a plurality of cleats mounted on a rotatable cylinder and disposed downstream of the registration station to heat said adjacent sections of said food item from said registration station at said registration lines for a predetermined time;
• and
• a sealing station comprising a cleat aligned with one of said plurality of cleats of said heating station so as to press the front face and rear face of the tube material together to form a seal when said registration line is aligned with said aligned cleats and to receive said adjacent sections of said food item from said heating station and to heat said registration lines to form a tack seal at said registration lines.

A food packaging device for producing individually wrapped slices of a food item from a continuous flattened tube of wrapping material with the food item therein, the flattened tube having a front face and a rear face, the device comprising:

• a registration station for producing adjacent sections of said flattened tube separated from each other by registration lines, wherein each of said registration lines are formed by said registration station pressing the front face and rear face of the tube material along an area transverse to the length of the tube such that the food item is squeezed out of said area;
• a conveyor to transport said continuous tube of the food item;
• a heating station comprising a plurality of cleats mounted on a rotatable cylinder and disposed downstream of the registration station to heat said adjacent sections of said food item from said registration station at said registration lines for a predetermined time;
• and
• a sealing station comprising a cleat aligned with one of said plurality of cleats of said heating station so as to press together the front and rear faces of the tube material to form a seal when said registration line is aligned with said aligned cleats and to receive said adjacent sections of said food item from said heating station and to heat said registration lines to form a tack seal at said registration lines.

A method of producing individually wrapped slices of a food item from a continuous flattened tube of wrapping material with the food item therein comprising the steps of:

• pressing said tube along a first area transverse to the length of the tube such that the food item is squeezed out of said first area so as to form a first registration line;
• pressing said tube along a second area transverse to the length of the tube such that the food item is squeezed out of said second area so as to form a second registration line and define a food item slice located between said first and second registration lines;
• discontinuing said pressing of said tube and heating said first and second registration lines for a predetermined amount of time;
• after the heating of the first and second registration lines, pressing said heated first and second registration lines so as to form a food item slice with a tack seal.

An individually wrapped slice of a food item formed from a continuous flattened tube of wrapping material with the food item therein formed by the steps of:

• pressing said tube along a first area transverse to the length of the tube such that the food item is squeezed out of said first area so as to form a first registration line;
• pressing said tube along a second area transverse to the length of the tube such that the food item is squeezed out of said second area so as to form a second registration line and define a food item slice located between said first and second registration lines;
• discontinuing said pressing of said tube along said first and second areas transverse to the length of the tube and heating said first and second registration lines for a predetermined amount of time;
• pressing said heated first and second registration lines so as to form a food item slice with a tack seal.