A machine and method for evacuating sealed packages formed from flexible sheet material which may be heat sealed, and for sealing the package. A heat-sealing device has two sections disposed opposite each other and movable toward each other to seal two sheets of the flexible material together to form a sealed package. One of the sections comprises a suction head for applying vacuum to one of the sheets of flexible material to cause the one sheet to move toward a knife member fixedly secured in the suction head to form a pierced opening in the one sheet through which air is exhausted from the package through the pierced opening. A heat-sealing member is disposed in and reciprocable in the suction head for movement between a retracted position and an extended sealing position. The heat-sealing member is adapted to heat seal the sheets together in an area surrounding the pierced opening when in its extended position. In the preferred form of the invention, the other section of the heat-sealing device also comprises a vacuum head for applying suction to the other sheet of flexible material to grip the other sheet while the one sheet is being pierced and the air is evacuated from the package.
An evacuation and venting system and method for providing vacuum packages utilizing a vacuum chamber having two vacuum channels or ports, located at the side of the vacuum chamber, and a vacuum channel or port, located at the top of the chamber. The side vacuum channels are arranged to provide efficient evacuation of a package disposed in the vacuum chamber to allow the space between the bottom of the package and the top of the package to be evacuated without adversely affecting the sealing bars of the vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber may be used to vacuum pack liquid-packed foodstuffs by having the top vacuum channel vent or otherwise remove the liquid from the side vacuum channels subsequent to evacuation.
4263767 - Meat packaging machine - Owned by C. A. Pemberton & Co. Limited (Toronto,CA) [*] Notice:The portion of the term of this patent subsequent to February 19, 1997 has been disclaimed.
The meat packaging machine of the present invention is designed to vacuum pack meat products between two webs of heat sealable thermo-plastic material. One web of each package is formed with at least two pockets connected by and bounded by a sealing flange extending outwardly therefrom. The second web which closes the pockets also extends over the sealing flange and the entire interface between the two webs is heat sealed to prevent migration of meat juices. The machine includes a sealing head and a sealing die mounted one on either side of the sealing plane. Heated sealing members are located in the sealing head and in the sealing die which, when the head and die are in the closed position, are disposed to engage the first and second webs therebetween to effect a heat seal over the entire sealing interface of the webs.
A machine and method for evacuating sealed packages formed from flexible sheet material and for flushing or filling, as required, the evacuated package with an inert gas. The product enclosed within the package is preferably a food product such as luncheon meats, sausage, cheese, or the like. In constructing the package, one or more spaced apart apertures are formed in one sheet and a slit is formed in the other sheet so that preferably the slit will be on the opposite side of the package from the apertures. An initial peripheral seal is made between the two sheets to enclose the slit, apertures and product. The package is then evacuated through the slit with the sheets being separated and then the slit is sealed and gas introduced through the apertures, or, for a gas flushed package, the slit may be sealed after gas is introduced. Next the apertures are sealed thus forming a gas flushed or filled package.
The meat packaging machine of the present invention is designed to vacuum pack meat products between two webs of heat sealable thermo-plastic material. One web of each package is formed with at least two pockets connected by and bounded by a sealing flange extending outwardly therefrom. The second web which closes the pockets also extends over the sealing flange and the entire interface between the two webs is heat sealed to prevent migration of meat juices. The machine includes a sealing head and a sealing die mounted one on either side of the sealing plane. Heated sealing members are located in the sealing head and in the sealing die which, when the head and die are in the closed position, are disposed to engage the first and second webs therebetween to effect a heat seal over the entire sealing interface of the webs.
The invention concerns the packaging of commodities into vacuum-sealed packs formed from sheet plastics packaging material. In accordance with this invention, the packaging material is formed from a two-layer laminate the inside layer of which has a much lower softening point than the outside layer. The commodity is sandwiched between two sheets of the packaging material and is passed to a vacuum chamber in which it is sealed between the two sheets under reduced pressure. Simultaneously the material is heated to a temperature at which the inner laminate softens, and when the chamber is aerated, the heated material collapses around the commodity and the inner layers fuse together around the margins to form a highly effective hermetic seal around the commodity.
