Special receptacle or package – Including ancillary article contacting medium – Gas medium
Patent
1987-06-19
1989-06-20
Culver, Horace M.
Special receptacle or package
Including ancillary article contacting medium
Gas medium
206526, 206542, 426119, 426129, B65D 8120, B65D 2100
Patent
active
048402710
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to improved packaging and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to improved packaging for containing meat, fish, poultry, vegetables or other food products.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Hitherto, in the art of packaging meat, fish, poultry, vegetables or other food products, it has been a problem to (a) provide for relatively long shelf life of the packaged goods, (b) to provide a package which will not affect the appearance or keeping qualities of the packaged goods, (c) to provide a package which is relatively simple to manufacture, (d) to provide an inexpensive yet sufficiently strong package and (e) to provide a package wherein fogging of the package from moisture carried in the packaged goods will be inhibited.
Packaging has been known which includes certain gases to enhance the keeping qualities of the contents. For example, it is known to use packaging such as disclosed in PCT Patent Application No. PCT/AU85/00131, the subject matter of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The shelf life of the packaged goods can thereby be enhanced. Typically these packages are made from a plastics material and the plastics material provides a partial barrier to the ingress of unwanted gases. Some of the plastics material is such that it allows gases which may generate within the package to escape. Other known plastics materials allow certain gases to permeate enhancing the keeping qualities of the packaged goods.
STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
The present invention attempts to overcome one or more of the aforementioned problems by including a skin wrapping in the total package. Skin packing is a known technique where goods are tightly packaged within a wrapping material and where substantially all of the atmospheric air is excluded. This known technique has been utilized to provide a different packaging method and structure than hitherto known.
According to a first broad aspect of the present invention, there may be provided a method of packaging goods which, in general terms, includes placing perishable goods in a base, placing a web of flexible material over the base and the goods, allowing the flexible web to displace itself over and, thereby, at least partially skin pack the goods, applying a lid to the base over the flexible web, sealing the lid and the flexible web to the base, and charging the space between the lid and the flexible web with a gas that will permeate the flexible web and prolong preservation of the package goods.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there may be provided an improved package in which perishable goods placed on a base are at least partially skin packed by a flexible plastic web. The base is covered by a lid, which creates a space between the skin packed goods and the lid. The lid and the flexible web are sealed to the base and a gas selected for preserving the skin wrapped goods is introduced into the space. The flexible skin packing web is permeable to the gas.
Most preferably said desired gas has sufficient volume and is of such a type that it will enhance the keeping qualities of the packaged goods.
It is also preferred that there be a further web of plastics material between said base and said goods so that said goods will be substantially enclosed in a skin packing by said flexible web and said further web and substantially without any air therebetween.
Another aspect of the invention is an apparatus for making the improved package. This apparatus includes a station where the goods placed on the base are at least partially skin packed. The apparatus further includes a lid sealing station which the package under assembly sequentially reaches after the skin packing station. Here, the lid is sealed to the base, and a desired gas inserted into the space between the skin-packing web and the lid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In order that the invention can be more clearly ascertained the construction of preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying draw
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Culver Horace M.
Garwood Ltd.
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