Sausage casing packaging

Details Sausage casing packaging Sausage casing packaging

1999-06-10

2001-01-16

Thomas, Alexander (Department: 1772)

Stock material or miscellaneous articles

Sheet, web, or layer weakened to permit separation through...

C428S036900, C206S802000, C452S032000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06174580

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packaging for natural gut sausage casing, and more particularly, to a holder for such casing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The sausage industry has been using a two-piece holder for natural gut casing and the packaging thereof. This two-piece holder is best described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,115,240, issued Dec. 24, 1963 to Edward Flomen et al. The holder, in accordance with the above United States patent, includes an elongated, flexible, self-supporting, flattened tube having opposed parallel walls. The flattened tube is reinforced by a stiffener insert adapted to be placed in the flattened tube. The flattened tube is disposable, thereby reducing the cost otherwise necessitated by the sanitation of the holder. Reference is made to this United States patent for a description of the particular problems faced when handling natural gut casing and the limitations encountered with conventional packaging for such products.
The two-piece holder is not popular in all markets. For instance, in the Japanese market, a reusable, one-piece, semi-rigid, cylindrical tube is commonly used. However, the tube must be sanitized before it can be reused. The use of such a holder requires that the sausage making plant be close to the supplier of natural gut casing in view of the back-and-forth transportation of the holders.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an aim of the present invention to provide a one-piece disposable holder for use in packaging natural gut sausage casing.
It is a further aim of the present invention to have an improved holder that can replace the one-piece reusable holder.
A construction in accordance with the present invention comprises an elongated, self-supporting, flattened, slit tube having a pair of opposed, somewhat parallel walls with overlapping longitudinal edges at the slit. The material of the tube is selected from a flexible self-supporting sheet material having a low coefficient of friction.
It has been found that, by providing the flattened tube having a continuous slit parallel to the axis of the tube, a firmer wall construction could be maintained while providing the necessary flexibility to the holder.
A preferred material for the flattened slit tube is polyethylene.
It has been found that a one-piece holder of relatively thin polyethylene material having a U-shaped cross-section having a bight portion and a pair of opposed parallel walls with inwardly curved free edges representing a flattened slit tube provides an ideal disposable holder. One end of the holder may be tapered in order to facilitate the loading of a length of natural gut onto the holder. In view of the flexible wall construction and the uninterrupted slit formed in the otherwise flattened tube, the holder may be easily placed on a shirring horn. In view of the relative stiffness of the holder, the holder tube will not have a tendency of “riding up” on the shirring horn.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the flattened slit tube has an extension from each end thereof, with one extension having a tapered end, and the two extensions have cooperating means for retaining the two end extensions together to form a loop. Thus, a casing can be mounted on the flattened slit tube on the shirring horn, and then the flattened tube can be formed in a loop by coupling the end extensions for the purpose of forming a transportable pack.
In a more specific embodiment, the end extension with the taper is provided with a notch at the bight in order to lock with the edges of the aperture when the end extensions are coupled together, thereby providing the retaining means.
In a still further embodiment of the present invention, end portions of the tube are separated from the holders by a weakened line in the bight portion extending transversely of the axis of the tube to allow the end portions to be flipped over the top of the bight at each end of the tube to provide abutment means for retaining the sausage casing on the tube.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3115240 (1963-12-01), Flomen et al.
patent: 3826852 (1974-07-01), Levaco et al.
patent: 296 09 651 (1986-08-01), None

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