DE29923644U1 - Packaging for food from a peelable film - Google Patents

Description

Rein hardt Söllner Gan ahl

PATENT ATTORNEYS

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt Söllner Ganahl ■ P.O. Box 12 26 ■ D-85542 Kirchheim b. Munich

17/10/2000 German utility model
PFM Spa
DE-2593

Packaging for food made from a peelable film

The present invention relates to a packaging made of peelable film for use in storing food products in general, preferably cheese, the packaging having the property that it can be closed after being opened once in order to preserve the freshness and taste of the food contained therein.

The present invention is particularly applicable in the field of the food industry and for the packaging of food.

Packaging for storing foodstuffs is generally known in the art, the packaging being formed from a suitable plastic film and obtained by sealing according to techniques well known in the field.

A typical packaging process is carried out by a machine called "flow-pack", where a particular product, after being once placed in a horizontal

European Patent and Hausen 5b PO Box 12 26

Trademark Attorneys D-85551 Kirchheim b. Munich D-85542 Kirchheim b. Munich

Dipl.-Ing. Markus Reinhardt Patmen® Tel +49(89)904800 81

Dipl.-Ing. Udo Söllner ·**;·"* ·**; »inal:jniO@patrn*ee.co*rj: .** '. I Fax +19 (39) 80480083 (G3)

Dipl.-Phys. Bernhard Gajiahf J * * . · * inter«etiwjw.patmienxo'nj j * *. '· · j . I. j fax +|9 (59) 9t) 48 00 84 (G4)

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - GanahV * 'de-2593 " Page-2-

position, is moved along a suitable conveyor, during which a plastic film is unwound from a suitable roll and suitably shaped so that the product is wrapped therein.

In the "flow pack" machine, a suitable bag forming device is provided and this is generally formed of a tubular plate or a tubular member adapted to fold the plastic film for packaging so that the product to be packaged can be inserted into the tubular plate and thereafter wrapped in the plastic film.

As the product advances within the forming tube, the plastic film is first subjected to a first sealing or closing operation which is longitudinal with respect to the first conveying direction followed by the product itself.

This first sealing operation is generally carried out by using several coupled rollers arranged opposite each other and on both sides of the product so that they act on both sides of the plastic film for packaging.

In particular, the rollers typically comprise a first pair of rollers functioning to guide the sliding of the film, a second pair of rollers performing the longitudinal sealing operation of the film along the conveying direction of the product, a third pair of rollers equipped with a cutting blade for eliminating the portions of the film protruding beyond the sealed edges, and a fourth pair of rollers, generally made of rubber, for pulling the film towards them.

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - GanähV * *ß?-2^93 ** " Page-3-

According to other embodiments, the first sealing operation may be carried out by means other than those described above, which are closure blocks.

When the first longitudinal sealing operation is completed, a second sealing operation is carried out transversely to the forward movement of the product so as to obtain a first short side of a predetermined package; this second sealing operation is carried out by means of a pair of sealing plates arranged downstream of the rollers.

In the case of continuous product movement, the sealing plates are mounted on a movement mechanism which moves parallel to the product in such a way that the plates remain in contact with the film so that it is sealed for a predetermined period of time; in the case of intermittent product movement, the plates can be moved back and forth towards each other individually.

When the second sealing operation is completed, the plates are opened and, with an intermittent advance of the product, the latter is advanced step by step so that the sealing plates can be closed again downstream of the product in order to carry out a third sealing operation which is transverse to the direction of movement in order to obtain the short side of the package.

As the product moves forward continuously, the mechanism on which the sealing plates are attached moves back and closes exactly in line with the second side to be sealed.

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - Ganä*lil ^# * *tf£-25§3 * Page -A-

During the third sealing operation, the plastic film cutting operation is carried out so that the product is suitably packed and ready for further packaging and storage phases.

The above operations are suitable for a product moved in a vertical position, wherein the product is placed sideways and placed on a conveyor suitable for forward movement and conveyed forward.

It is also known that a product can be moved even in a horizontal position resting on one of its large surfaces; in this second case, it is necessary to change the position of the seal and the sliding rollers and the sealing plates, but the operating principle is completely identical to that described above.

It is also known in practice to carry out the packaging steps indicated above in a modified atmosphere in order to control chemical, enzymatic or microbiological reactions taking place on the product and to minimize or completely eliminate the main causes of deterioration of the product.

A controlled atmosphere is generally obtained by introducing a gas or a mixture of gases, which can be nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen, the gases being used to reduce oxidation phenomena affecting pigments, flavour and fats of the product, as well as to retard the growth and reduce the rate of proliferation of moulds and aerobic bacteria.

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - Gana*h*T * *Ö£-2^3 ** ** Page-5-

The gas or gas mixture used is suitably blown during the packaging process into an injection tube located downstream of the first longitudinal sealing operation and immediately upstream of the sealing plates which perform the transverse sealing in order to obtain a perfectly airtight package.

In the prior art, there are packages of the type described above which are equipped with a resealable zipper system arranged above the longitudinal seal.

The zip-lock type packaging within the sealed area presents more than a few disadvantages, since the positioning of the closure below the longitudinal seal does not guarantee perfect airtightness of the packaging, just as is therefore necessary to preserve the food product contained therein.

It is indeed easy to understand that closing the zipper on the plastic film does not in fact give complete assurance that the package will be kept in a perfectly airtight condition, this being particularly true for the areas of the outer edges of the zipper.

Furthermore, based on its inherent properties, the zipper cannot be considered as an airtight closure device.

This means that the packaging types with the zipper described above cannot be considered as airtight packaging for a modified atmosphere.

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - GananT DE-2593 Page -6-

The plastic films used to form the packaging according to the state of the art are generally those from the group comprising: polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyester, polyamide.
5

In particular, the plastic films considered here are laminates which are coupled to form a multilayer structure from polypropylene/polyethylene or polyester/polyethylene or further from the polyamide/polyethylene types.

The main disadvantage of all prior art packages, as described, is the impossibility of resealing them once they have been opened.

This means that once a typical state-of-the-art packaging, such as that used for cheese or meat, has been opened, it is not possible to guarantee proper conservation of the unused product left inside.

Furthermore, currently, when such packaging is opened, the ends are torn and almost completely destroyed because it is impossible for the user to follow the predetermined tear line to open the packaging and remove its contents.

In fact, the sealing material used, which is usually made of polyethylene, does not allow the closure to be removed and the consumer cannot therefore benefit from the closure lines, such as those that follow the opening of the packaging itself.

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - GanaKI * * DE-2593 Page -T-

Therefore, if the contents are returned to their original packaging, the unused product will inevitably come into contact with the external environment, provided that the packaging is still in a usable condition, that is, if it has not been completely destroyed.
5

In order to preserve the product left for consumption, the consumer is often forced to use glass or plastic containers or to wrap the product left for consumption with aluminum or other plastic film to ensure that it is effectively preserved.

The present invention aims to overcome the problems, obstacles and disadvantages of the prior art by providing an airtight package for foodstuffs in general, preferably for cheese, which package is suitable for being opened without tearing and which, furthermore, can be closed several times, ensuring the correct preservation and conservation of the product contained therein.

The above problem was solved by implementing the features specified in the main claim in practice.
20

The dependent claims show particularly advantageous forms and embodiments of the present invention.

The package for storing food according to the present invention is manufactured starting from a single film of the peelable type having a high degree of sealability, and the film preferably has a high degree of impermeability so that the bag or package has the necessary airtightness for holding the modified atmosphere.

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - GananV * *DE-2593 * * Page -8-

In this way, when the two opposite parts of a predetermined peelable film are sealed together to form a package according to the present invention for storing a predetermined food product, in particular cheese, the peelability of the film allows the user to open the package by peeling off the closure, that is, detaching the parts from each other by applying a pulling force thereto.

According to some advantageous characteristics of the peelable film, the user can therefore access the product without any risk of tearing the packaging when opening it, which is exactly what happens with the prior art packaging due to their high resistance due to the materials from which they are made, which materials cannot be released along their closure lines.

According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, the peelable film consists of a first layer of oriented polyamide (PAO) coupled to a coextruded peelable polyethylene layer (PEPC), such as that produced by the German company Südpack GmbH, Ochsenhausen.

According to this embodiment, the first stretched polyamide layer has a thickness of about 15 μm, with the second coextruded peelable polyethylene layer having a thickness of about 60 μm.

According to the invention, the closure between the two sections or parts of the peelable film for forming a package according to the invention is carried out on the polyethylene side, which is mostly used because of its high sealing ability.

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - Ganahl DE-2593 Page -9-

Currently, when a specific user applies a pulling force to the parts for the first opening of the packaging, they are separated from each other at the peelable polyethylene interlayer.

According to a first form of embodiment of the present invention, the packaging for foodstuffs, preferably cheese, formed from the peelable film described above has a first part which is higher than the second part, which is why the first part is advantageously suitable for folding over the second part.

The second foldable part is in fact engaged with the packaging by suitable folding means, such as an adhesive layer, which makes it possible to achieve an effective closure of the packaging even if it has already been opened once or more than once.

The closing operation has the undoubted advantage of being able to be repeated more than once, allowing the user to use the product contained in the packaging at different times. This does not force the user to use other means, such as other containers or different types of film, to store the product or to consume the product in its entirety after the packaging containing it has been opened for the first time, thus avoiding the risk of it deteriorating after direct contact with air and/or losing its own specific flavour over time.

According to this method, the peelable film is wrapped around the forming device such that a first part of the film has a height which is higher than that of the second part.

·

·

·

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - Gananf * *DE-2593 Page-10-

When leaving the forming device, the product is therefore wrapped with the peelable film in an asymmetrical manner, with a suitable series of rollers being provided to facilitate the sliding of the film and furthermore suitable for carrying out a first vertical seal, that is a seal formed on the film along its direction of movement.

The first sealing operation is carried out at a level slightly lower than the height of the second part, so that during the first opening phase of the package a given user can make use of the unsealed or detached surface of the first and second parts as a useful handle for easy, quick access to the product.

According to this method, during the first closing or sealing phase of the package taking shape, a gas or a suitable gas mixture is pumped in to create a modified atmosphere.

Then, once the film has been sealed lengthwise and in this state already contains the product to be packaged, it passes to a pair of closing plates suitable for carrying out a second transverse closing operation, which itself is suitable for bringing about the first short side of the package.

Once the second closure has been completed on the advancing product, the sealing plates are moved or rotated and eventually approach the parts of the peelable films again downstream of the product, where the third closure is formed, also made transversely, which completes the package, thus giving rise to the second short side thereof.

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - Ganahl DE-2593 Page -11-

At the end of the third closing or sealing operation, the peelable film is suitably cut as described above and the first part, which is the longest part, is folded over onto the packaging; at this stage, a suitable device applies an adhesive tab to the first part so that it can be coupled to the packaging, which is then complete and ready to be conveniently closed and opened repeatedly, thus guaranteeing perfect conservation of the product.

According to a further form of embodiment, the packaging according to the present invention is provided with a mechanical zip closure system, itself made of plastic material, the closure system being of a type already known and generally used in the field of packaging.

This packaging provided with a zipper according to the invention differs from those of the prior art essentially in two aspects.

Firstly, all the packages according to the following invention are made of a peelable film with all the advantages that this material brings and which have been explained above.

The second aspect relates instead to the arrangement of the zipper, which according to the embodiment of the present invention is arranged above the first longitudinal seal and not below the film, as is the case for conventional prior art packaging.

The arrangement of the zipper above the first seal offers exceptional advantages because it is arranged in one area of the packaging

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - Ganan? * *DE-2593 Page -12-

which does not include the area containing the product and the modified atmosphere surrounding the product.

This means, in other words, that during the closure of the zip on the film there is no risk of causing small accidental openings that would inevitably compromise the airtightness of the packaging itself and the preservation of the product contained therein.

It should be pointed out that even this further embodiment of the present invention allows to achieve an airtight package which has the advantage of being able to be opened and closed repeatedly without risking tearing of the package itself and without compromising the correct storage of the food product contained therein when the package has been opened for the first time by carrying out the detachment of the longitudinal closure of the original package.

Such an advantage is particularly useful for packaging blocks of cheese, which can then be consumed several times, even several days in a row, without risking having to throw away parts of the cheese that would be deteriorated due to prolonged contact with air.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention can be easily understood after reading the present description, which is given purely as a non-limiting example with reference to the figures shown in the following table, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view and in particular a partial sectional view of a package according to the present invention;

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - Ganäfif * *DE-2593 Page -13-

Fig. 2 shows a top plan view of what is shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 shows a top view of a package according to another embodiment of the present invention. 5

In the figures, reference numerals 10, 20 generally indicate a bag or package formed from a peelable film according to the present invention.

Figures 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the foldable packaging 10 according to the present invention.

According to this embodiment, a package 10 is formed from a peelable film 11 by a process of winding and unwinding the film 11 around a given product 12, the winding being carried out in such a way as to form a first part 11' and a second part 12 having different heights.

In this procedure, the first part 11', which is higher than the second part 11", is suitably folded over the second part to obtain the package 10 according to the present invention.

Furthermore, after the sealing or closing process of the parts 11', 11", the seals or closures 14, 15 are placed in succession (shown in Fig. 2); then the necessary film cutting processes are carried out to completely complete the packaging.

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - Ganahl DE-2593 Page-14-

Finally, a suitable coupling means 16, such as an adhesive tab, is attached to the first longer part 11', with which the first foldable part 11' is engaged with the package 10 (arrow A in Fig. 1), allowing closing and opening of the package, even when it has been opened for the first time by releasing the closure 13, thereby allowing access to the packaged product 12.

Fig. 2 shows how the first closure 13 is formed at a slightly lower level than the height of the second part 11" such that during the opening phase the user can use the unsealed or sealed surfaces 11', 11" as handle surfaces for easy and quick opening of the package 10.

Fig. 3 shows another embodiment 20 of the packaging according to the present invention.

This packaging 20 is provided with a mechanical zipper system 21 which is made of plastic.

According to this embodiment, the package 20 is obtained by wrapping the film 11 around the product 12 in a symmetrical manner and, when the first closure 13 has been made, the zipper 21 is added to the package 20 by welding to the film.

The film is then further closed or sealed 14, 15 and cut to obtain a package which can be opened and closed at will, thus ensuring correct and effective conservation of the product contained therein.

· a

&Iacgr; · &idigr;! !

Patent Attorneys Reinhardt - Söllner - Ganahl DE-2593 Page -15-

The invention is described above with reference to some specific preferred embodiments.

It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, but that it includes all modifications and variations that come into consideration without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

It is therefore obvious that the invention can be put into practice, for example, by means of a machine with intermittent feed instead of a continuous operation as described above.

The invention can be briefly summarized as follows:

The invention relates to an airtight bag or package (10, 20) made of plastic material for storing food products (12) made from a single peelable film (11) consisting of a stretched polyamide layer coupled to a coextruded peelable polyethylene layer, the film being folded once on the side of the polyethylene layer to form the inner part of the package.

Claims (7)

1. Airtight package ( 10 , 20 ) made of plastic material for storing food products ( 12 ), the package being obtained by sealing ( 13 , 14 , 15 ) and cutting the plastic material by means of an automatic packaging machine, characterized in that the package ( 10 , 20 ) is made airtight by a single peelable film ( 11 ) and that it is provided with a coupling and closing device ( 16 , 21 ) which allows repeated opening and closing of the package ( 10 , 20 ) after it has been used for the first time, the coupling and closing device not being arranged in the sealed area of the package. 2. Packaging ( 10 , 20 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the peelable film ( 11 ) is formed from a stretched polyamide layer (PAO) which is coupled to a coextruded polyethylene layer (PEPC). 3. Packaging ( 10 , 20 ) according to claim 2, characterized in that the stretched polyamide layer has a thickness of approximately 15 µm and that the coextruded peelable polyethylene layer has a thickness of approximately 60 µm. 4. Packaging ( 10 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a first part ( 11 ') and a second part ( 11 ") of the peelable film, the first part ( 11 ') and the second part ( 11 ") having different heights, so that the first part ( 11 ') has a greater height than the second part ( 11 ") and over (A) the packaging can be folded to form the closure ( 10 ). 5. Packaging ( 10 ) according to claim 4, characterized in that the coupling and closing device ( 16 ) is formed from an adhesive or self-adhesive tab. 6. Packaging ( 20 ) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the coupling and closing device ( 21 ) consists of a zipper system. 7. Packaging ( 10 , 20 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a pair of portions suitable to be grasped with a hand in order to achieve the release of a seal and consequently the opening of the packaging.