Multi-seal reclosable flexible package for displaying thinly sliced food products
AssigneeOscar Mayer Foods Corporation
InventorsTodd S. Marnocha, Brian P. Lawless, Gerald O. Hustad
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multi-seal flexible recloseable package having a tapered product cavity formed in one of the package sidewalls has a generally wedged-shaped cavity into which a doubled-over shingled stack of the food product slices are sealed. The package has a first, peelable hermetic seal located next to an access edge of the product cavity and a second, recloseable seal positioned directly above the peelable seal. Vertical extensions of the package sidewalls are sealed together at their tops to form a third package seal which has a tamper-evident tear strip. One or more openings in the vertical package extensions allow the package to be supported on a display hook.
Claims17
A recloseable plastic film display bag package and packaged food product in which thinly sliced food products are positioned between generally opposing bag walls and at least one surface of the food products within said bag is viewable through the bag and the food product is hermetically sealed in said bag, said bag being defined by front and rear bag walls which are joined together on at least three sides thereof and which provide an openable mouth for said bag, said bag comprising, in combination:
- a first flexible film forming said bag front wall;
- a second flexible film forming said bag rear wall, the second flexible film having a generally wedge-shaped product cavity formed therein for holding the thinly sliced food products in a generally vertically viewable display position, said product cavity being defined by a peripheral flange of said second film extending around said product cavity, the peripheral flange having an access edge portion disposed proximate to the bag mouth, said product cavity having first and second opposing ends and further having a depth which decreases as said product cavity approaches said bag mouth, such that the depth of the first end of said product cavity is greater than the depth of the second end thereof;
- a stack of thinly-sliced food products disposed in said product cavity and closely supported therein by and between said first and second flexible films in the viewable display position, said stack of thinly sliced food products being folded over onto itself to define a generally doubled-over stack of shingled, thinly-sliced food products, said stack having a configuration generally complementary in configuration to said product cavity, said doubled-over stack of thinly-sliced food products being positioned in said product cavity proximate to said first end thereof;
- said first and second flexible films being bonded together around said product cavity at said peripheral flange and interior of and beneath a pair of opposed fastener elements, and so that said first flexible film is substantially planar, thereby forming a hermetic first package seal therebetween which seals said stack of thinly-sliced food products within said product cavity and between the substantially planar first flexible film and said second flexible film, a portion of said hermetic first package seal proximate to said bag mouth being a peelable hermetic seal;
- a recloseable second package seal formed by said pair of opposed fastener elements attached to opposing faces of said first and second flexible films above said product cavity, said opposed fastener elements being attached to each other at opposite ends thereof to define said bag mouth;
- and
- said first and second flexible films having integral, respective first and second bag extension panels disposed above said recloseable second package seal, the first and second bag extension panels having respective opposing faces sealed together at a permanent third package seal, said permanent third package seal including tamper-indicating means for indicating prior opening of said bag, the tamper-indicating means including a removable tear strip formed at said permanent third package seal, said tear strip being defined by one or more lines of weakening disposed in said first and second extension panels adjacently beneath said permanent third package seal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.