JPH0343320A - Method for packing moldable product and packed article thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To manufacture a packaging body suitable for molding a moldable product such as a large cheese block and the transportation and storage of the product by applying the vacuum skin packaging method for a container with substatially rigid bottom wall, side walls and end walls and a liner for coating the inner face of a cavity. CONSTITUTION: An outer shell 12 of a container is formed of preferably a substantially hard corrugated board or the like and provided with a cavity 22 and an upper rim 24. An inner liner 14 is formed on its inner face, and the whole of the interior surface is coated preferably by thermoforming a thermoplastic material to be heat sealed and overlapped on the upper rim 24. The container storing a moldable product 26 is disposed in a vacuum chamber 29 including a lower female mold 30 and a hot plate 32, and a container top section is coated with a web 40 such as a film and a chamber 29 is vacuumized and the web 40 is lifted up on the hot plate 32. When the vacuum is released on an exhaust vent 34b of a chamber 29 upper section after exhausting between the top section web 40 and a liner 14, the web 4 is pressed to the liner 14 on the position of the upper rim 24 of the container 10 and bonded thereon, and also pressed to the upper face of the moldable product 26.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Oiso! FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the packaging of cheese, and more particularly to the use of true skin packaging technology for the packaging of moldable products such as cheese blocks.

4 Trillion to 4 MoxibustionCurrently, the usual means used in cheese making technology to form large cheese blocks is the old nncanton block forming tower. Large cheese blocks generally have a weight of about 40 bonds. The blocks coming out of the forming tower are soft and very pliable, and their texture is gelatinous. The blocks therefore tend to fit into the container 2:) according to the shape of the container. When cooled and compacted, the block becomes a solid solid body that takes on the shape of the inside of the container. It is very important that such 40 bond cheese blocks have right edge angles and smooth surfaces. This need is difficult to meet with conventional systems that typically involve vacuum packaging the raw soft blocks emerging from the forming base with barrier pouches and then placing the pouches in cardboard cartons, wooden crates, or plastic boxes.

Rigid and semi-rigid containers made of cardboard and thermoplastic materials are commercially available in a variety of sizes. Those containers, with or without a thermoplastic liner on the inside and a coating or laminate on the outside, provide packagers with the ability to withstand the weight of many products, accept the bulk of many products,
and often provide containers that can be stacked if necessary during transportation or storage.

An example of a patent related to containers is U.S. Patent No. 3,927,821.
The paperboard carton disclosed in this patent includes a bottom panel and side and end walls with a plastic lining film attached to the inside surface of the paperboard.

English [11! ! ￥Revision No. 1,136,885 (＾nder
sson) discloses a container having an outer casing of a relatively stiff material, such as cardboard, and a continuous protective layer of thermoplastic material disposed within the casing. The outer casing has a bottom and several upright side walls.

In some cases, the container includes a horizontal flange extending toward the interior or exterior of the container. Patents relating to such containers include, for example, U.S. Pat.
, 362 (Scl+ i I l ing), the carton disclosed in this patent comprises horizontal flaps located at each end thereof and a cover sheet heat-sealed to these flaps. There is.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,816 (Bemiss) discloses a self-supporting outer paperboard tray and plastic liner and a flange extending laterally around the upper edge of the paperboard or plastic liner.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,065 (Chazal et al.) discloses a container having a paperboard portion and a synthetic material portion, the container having a flange extending outwardly around the upper edge of the container. ing.

Applicants have discovered that containers such as those described above, when used in combination with vacuum skin packaging, can be used for large moldable products, such as blocks of cheese, to form moldable products that are robust yet suitable for transportation and storage of the product. We discovered that it is possible to create a container that is

Vacuum skin packaging methods and devices are discussed in a number of patents. No. 30,009 (Perdue et al.) teaches the use of a chamber containing a product to be packaged. A surface film is placed on the product and within the dome the surface film is lifted by means of a vacuum and/or with the help of an air pressure differential to a heated part of the dome where it is heated and softened and then exposed to the vacuum. Upon removal and/or vacuum application, the heated and softened film drapes over the product and support member, forming a vacuum skin package.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a packaging container for a moldable product, such as a large block of cheese, which protects the physical integrity of the product contained therein and facilitates the shaping of the product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a method of packaging a moldable product, comprising: packaging the product with a substantially rigid bottom portion defining a cavity on the inner surface and an upper rim; and a liner covering the inner surface of the cavity, the container is placed in a vacuum chamber, the top of the container is covered with a web of thermoformable material, the chamber is closed, and the web is placed over a hot plate. , vacuum the space between the web and liner, press the web and liner together at the upper rim of the container, degas the space between the web and liner and pull the web down, and then contacting the web with the top surface of the product by: removing the container from the vacuum chamber.

The present invention also provides: a container having a substantially rigid bottom wall, side and end walls defining a cavity at the inner surface and also defining an upper rim; and a liner covering the inner surface of the cavity. A package is also provided that includes a disposed molded product and a web of thermoformable material covering the molded product in intimate contact with the liner at the upper rim of the container.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, the container 10 has an outer shell 12 and an inner liner 14.

The outer shell 12 is preferably made of corrugated cardboard, which is generally rigid, or in other cases of a plastic material, such as a thermoplastic or thermoset material.

As used herein, the expression "substantially rigid" refers to materials t1 such as corrugated holes, thermoplastic materials, etc. that have sufficient hardness or resistance to deformation to qualify as suitable materials for constructing containers, container walls, or sheets. It is used against. This adjective is
It is also used in materials that are somewhat flexible but suitable for wall panels, bottom walls, and similar planar structures, sometimes described as semi-rigid.

If corrugated paper material is used, this material may be made waterproof by the addition of an outer coating or by the application of various hydrophobic materials to the interior of the material.

The outer shell 12 has a bottom wall 16 and side walls 18a and 18.
b, and end walls 20a and 20b (see Figures 2a and 2b).

Bottom wall 16, side walls 18a and 18b and end wall 20
a and 20b define a cavity 22 that can accommodate a moldable product 26, such as a cheese block. The outer shell 12 includes side walls 18a, 18b and end walls 20a, 2.
An upper rim 24 consisting of the upper edge of 0b is also defined.

The upper rim 24 generally consists of only four walls 18a, 18
b, 20a and 20b. It is also possible to provide a horizontal flange extending outwardly from the upper end 24 or inwardly towards the cavity 22.

An example of the former is U.S. Patent No. 4,469,258qlWrig
htW), an example of the latter being disclosed in U.S. Pat.
No. 722.474 (Dropsy).

FIG. 2b shows outwardly extending flanges 23a and 23b.
Not shown. Figure 2a shows inwardly extending flanges 25a and 25b.

Inner liner 14 preferably includes bottom wall 16, side wall 18
a and 18b and the inner surfaces of the end walls 20a and 20b by heating, adhesion, or other suitable means.
Composed of sealable thermoplastic material. Preferably, the liner 14 is thermoformed to the inner surface of the outer shell 12.

Liner 14 preferably comprises a film, laminate or coextruded laminate. Preferably, the liner 14
includes at least one oxygen barrier layer, i.e. the liner 14
The overall oxygen permeability of the material is preferably less than about 100 cm3 per square meter (8STM 3985).

This oxygen blocking property makes the present invention useful in the packaging of products where the presence of oxygen is detrimental to their packaging, quality or use, such as perishable foods such as cheese and meat. enhance sexuality.

Alternatively, in other cases, the liner 14 has a high oxygen permeability,
That is, it can be constructed from a film having high oxygen permeability. Such films may be useful in applications such as packaging cut vegetables.

As shown in FIG. 1a, the liner 14 includes a bottom wall 16,
Side walls 18a and 18shi and end walls 20a and 20b
The entire inner surface of the shell 12 is covered.

Liner 14 also overlies upper rim 24 as shown.

If a horizontal flange is provided as part of the shell 12 near the upper rim 24, the liner 14 preferably covers the top surface of such flange, and if desired also covers the bottom surface.

Liners such as those described above are doubly useful. Such a liner may be in close contact with the top web described below to provide the final vacuum packaged product, and provide barrier protection from oxygen, moisture, etc., if necessary for the contained product. Moreover,
In some cases, the liner is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,547,72.
In practice, the upper blade segments are held together as disclosed in No. 2 (^ndersson). Thus, preferably both inner surfaces defining cavity 22 are lined with a liner.

The typical conventional corrugated board shown in Figure 1b has a thermoplastic liner 14 attached to the inside surface of the paper (by direct application, which is the preferred method of container formation. , it is not necessary that liner 14 be attached to the inner surface of shell 12 at every point on the inner surface, i.e., spot sealing or non-contamination by adhesive, heat, or various other means may be used to attach liner 14 to shell 12. It is possible to use a continuous seal.

FIG. 3 shows a moldable article 26 placed within the cavity 22 of the container 10. In the particular example of FIG. 3, moldable product 26 is a freshly formed cheese block placed in container 10 after passing through the Winncanton block forming tower.

A block transport device 28 may be used to place the cheese block into the container.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, container 10 containing moldable product 26 is placed within vacuum chamber 29. As shown in FIGS.

Vacuum chambers such as chamber 29 are known to those skilled in the art. The chamber 29 includes a lower female die 30 and a die plate 32 .

Vacuum boats 34a and 34b are provided as points at which chamber air can be evacuated or introduced into the chamber during a packaging sequence. Vacuum boats 36a and 36b are additional air entry and exit points that function during vacuuming.

Springboard 32 includes a heating element 38 . After the container 10 is placed in the vacuum chamber 29, a web 40 of film or laminate is placed over the top of the container. Top web 40
The placement of can actually begin before the container 10 is introduced into the vacuum chamber 29. Once the web 40 is placed over the top of the container, the chamber 29 is closed and evacuated, i.e., evacuated to the outside of the container and liner. This vacuuming process is carried out by the vacuum boat 34a and the vacuum boat 36.
a and 36b.

The space between top web 40 and liner 14 is also evacuated by evacuation via vacuum boat 34b. By providing a vent in the top of the chamber 29 at 34b as shown in FIG.
pressed against the liner 14 at the position of the upper rim 24 at 0;
and is also pressed against the upper surface of the moldable product 26. Optionally, a sheet of plastic material 1 or moisture-proof paperboard (not shown) is placed over the top surface of the moldable product 26 prior to placing the container 310 into the vacuum chamber 29. Using a relatively stiff flat plastic or moisture-proof paperboard sheet helps to provide a smooth, flat, and scratch-free top surface of the moldable article 26.

The above vacuum is preferably at least 25 inches (4.9 inches of mercury), more preferably 29 inches (0
．． 9 inches) vacuum level.

The heated top web 40 is molded against the top surface of the moldable article 26 and is bonded to the liner 14 wherever it contacts the liner 14. The depression in the top web 40 is useful in forming moldable products, such as flexible cheese blocks, into the shape of a container. - Inside the shell, the shape of the container is a rectangular parallelepiped.

In the resulting package, shown in FIG. 6, the compactly shaped moldable product 26 is substantially identical to the cavity 22 of the container 10. Preferably, moldable article 26 is completely surrounded by liner 14 and top web 40.

Liner 14 and top web 40 may each optionally include an oxygen barrier material that extends the packaging life of moldable product 26. For both liner 14 and top web 40, films, conventional laminates, and coextruded laminates may be used depending on the choice of moldable product 26 and the requirements of the final package.

Although in the preferred example described above the moldable product 26 is a block of cheese, many other food and non-food products may be advantageously packaged in accordance with the present invention. These products typically include ground beef, mechanically deboned meat, scraps, coffee beans, coffee beans, peanuts, and prepared foods such as meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, and fish fillets, cuts! l
! Products that can be compressed, packed, or molded, such as vegetables, powdered and granular chemicals, and other particulate materials. The method of the invention can also be used for packaging large and small pieces of food products, such as hand or subprimal cuts of pork, raw or boiled chicken meat.

Vacuum is typically at least 25 inches of mercury.

- In a variant, the packaging method described above may include a gas flushing step to substantially eliminate residual oxygen inside the final package and/or to control the atmosphere inside the package. Gas flushing techniques and equipment are known to those skilled in the art.

In another variation, both vacuuming and gas flushing may be omitted by using an oxygen absorbing material. The oxygen absorbing material is typically loaded into a packet within the package prior to sealing the top web 40 to the liner 14.

Although in the preferred embodiment the container IO has substantially no inner or outer flanges, either the inner flanges (25a and 25b) and the outer flanges (23a and 23b) may be used in conjunction with the present invention. If an outer flange is provided extending outwardly from the upper rim 24, the liner 14 preferably extends beyond the upper end 24 and along the upper and possibly lower surfaces of the outer flange. Even if an inner flange is provided, the liner 14 is connected to the side walls 18a and 1
8b and end walls 20a and 20b, extending continuously along the lower and upper surfaces of the inner flange as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,474. Such a configuration is suitable for the end use described here.
This is not preferred because the moldable product, such as a cheese block, is not sufficiently contained within the cavity 22, i.e.
This is because it becomes difficult to completely fill the space with other products.

Honmei I! It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that variations of the invention will become apparent upon reading Book II and that such variations do not depart from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the claims. - By way of example, the outer full shell 12 of the container 10 has been shown as a pocket with two (WI section walls and two R2 section walls) located at right angles to each other; however, the shell 12 has more than four It may have a side Un, and the angle of the edge angle may be arbitrary.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1a is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a container used in the present invention, FIG. 1b is an enlarged sectional view of a part of the container in FIG. 1a, and FIG.
Figure 2a is a perspective view of an example of the outer shell, Figure 2b is a perspective view of a variant of the outer shell of the container, Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of the container of Figure 1a containing a moldable product, Figure 4 FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration showing the container of FIG. 3 placed in a vacuum chamber; FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the container of FIG. 4 after the top web has contacted the top surface of the formable product; FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the final packaged product. 10... Container, 12... Outer shell,
14...Liner, 16...Bottom wall, 1
8a, 18b...Side wall, 20a, 20b...
... End wall, 22 ... Cavity, 24.
...Upper rim, 26...Product, 29...
...Vacuum chamber, 30...Lower female mold, 3
2... Upper hot plate, 40... Web. FIG, 1b G FIG, 2a FIG, 2b FIG, 3 FIG, 5

Claims (24)

[Claims] (1) A method of packaging a moldable product, the product comprising substantially rigid bottom walls, side walls, and end walls defining a cavity on an interior surface and also defining an upper rim; placing the container in a vacuum chamber having a lower female mold and an upper hot plate, placing a web of thermoformable material over the top of the container, closing the chamber, and placing the web upwardly. the web at the upper rim of the container, evacuating the space between the web and the liner, and evacuating the space between the outside of the container and liner and the inner surface of the lower female mold of the vacuum chamber; and a liner together, degassing the space between the web and liner and drawing the web down, thereby bringing the web into contact with the top surface of the product, and removing the container from the vacuum chamber. Method. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: (2) pressing the web and liner together by moving the hot plate downward. (3) The web and liner are pressed together by moving the lower female die upward.
The method described in. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing a sheet of substantially rigid material on top of the moldable product before placing the web of thermoformable material over the top of the container. (5) When the space between the web and the liner is degassed and the web is pulled down, thereby bringing the web into contact with the top surface of the product, the web is brought into close contact with the liner at all contact points with the liner. The method according to claim 1. (6) a container having an outer shell including a substantially rigid bottom wall, side walls and end walls defining a cavity at an inner surface and also defining an upper rim; and a liner covering the inner surface of the cavity. A package comprising a molded product disposed within the container and a web of thermoformable material covering the molded product in intimate contact with a liner at an upper rim of the container. (7) The packaged product according to claim 6, wherein the container wall is made of cardboard. (8) The package according to claim 6, characterized in that the container wall is made of plastic material. (9) The packaging product according to claim 6, wherein the container wall is made of foam board. (10) The packaged product according to claim 6, wherein the wall of the container is made of paperboard. 11. The packaged product of claim 6, wherein the liner is made of a heat-sealable thermoplastic material. (12) 100cm of heat-sealable thermoplastic material
Has an oxygen permeability of less than ^3/m^2 (ASTM39
85) The packaged product according to claim 11, characterized in that: (13) The packaged product according to claim 6, wherein the molded product is a food product. (14) that the food is selected from cheese, ground beef, boneless meat, scraps, coffee beans, coffee grounds, peanuts, meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, fish, powdered chemicals and granular chemicals; The packaged product according to claim 13, characterized in that: 15. The packaged article of claim 6, wherein the thermoforming material web has an oxygen permeability (ASTM 3985) of less than 100 cm^3/m^2. 16. The package of claim 6, further comprising a sheet of substantially rigid material disposed between the molded article and the web of thermoforming material. (17) The packaged product according to claim 16, wherein the sheet is made of a plastic material. (18) The packaged product according to claim 16, wherein the sheet is made of moisture-proof paperboard. (19) The packaged product according to claim 6, wherein the liner is a coextrusion laminate. (20) The packaged product according to claim 6, wherein the liner is a laminate. (21) The packaged product according to claim 6, wherein the web is a laminate. (22) The packaged product according to claim 6, wherein the web is a coextrusion laminate. (23) The packaged product according to claim 6, wherein the liner has a crosslinked structure. (24) The packaged product according to claim 6, wherein the web has a crosslinked structure.