Packaging for food product

Abstract: The invention relates to a packaging for food product useful for boil-in-bag or microwave comprising a sealed flexible pouch with a thermoformed bottom web (2) and a top web (3) of a monooriented material, one part of the top web consisting of two layers (10, 13) sealed together and with a precut (8) in the outer layer (10) which operates as starting pull tab for the opening.

Description: The invention relates to a packaging for food products useful for boil-in-bag or microwave. Packages for boil-in-bag are well known and are the most used in the frozen food area. These packages are cheap and comprise a sealed pouch, which have then to be opened with scissors when the food is heated. The obligation of using scissors is not very convenient. US-A-3 373 926 concerns also a pouch containing for example potato chips and comprising a sealing strip for joining the edge portions of the tube formed for receiving the food product and a sealing for separating successive pouches. The great drawback of this system is the danger of having leakages at the position of the sealings, which renders this type of solution not absolutely accurate. The same drawback is to be considered with the container according to EP-A-359 847 and concerning a package with an easy opening device comprising a non-sealed portion, which can affect the security of the sealing. DE-A-3700988 concerns a plastic packaging with a glue opening system: in this package, there is no absolute necessity of having a good sealing. We have devised a package for heating a food product, which is easy to handle, i.e. to open and empty without any danger of burning the fingers and which is useful also in microwave oven. Accordingly, the invention provides a packaging comprising a sealed flexible pouch with a thermoformed bottom web and a top web of a monooriented material,said top web comprising a precut, which operates as starting pull tab for the opening, as shown in EP-A-359 847, and wherein one part of the top web consists of two layers sealed together on their edges, the precut being between these edges, in the outer layer and present transversely to the orientation of the film of said layer and the flexible pouch comprises at the two opposite ends handles, each stiffened with a strip of material. Due to the monoorientation of the material the pull tab starts a tear strip without any weakening line in the material used. The package according to the invention can be used for frozen products as well as for chilled products. If the package is used in a microwave, one has from the precut in the outer layer to pull the tab across the seal joining both layers to allow for ventilation, avoiding therefore any risk of exploding the package. If the package is used in boiling water, the package stays closed and the tab is pulled after final reheating. The flexible pouch comprises at opposite ends handles each stiffened with a strip of material. These strips are of high density Polyethylene. After heating and opening for instance the package, the help of the handles gives the opportunity to empty the pouch very easily by inverting it and the food product leaves the pouch. The precut in the outer layer is present transversely to the orientation of the film of said web. The width of the part with the two layers is of 1 to 2 cm, so that the opening is as large as possible for discharging the food product. The precut is approximately in the middle of the edge of the flexible pouch. The material of the top web is any oriented plastic used for the food contact and preferably a monooriented polyester or Polyamide laminated to Polyethylene. The bottom web is made of Polyamide/Polyethylene, or any other formable material sealable on the top web. The present invention will now be further illustrated by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a side view of the package according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a top view of the same package and Fig. 3 is a cross section along line 3-3 of Fig. 2. The package (1) comprises a thermoformed bottom web (2) and a top web (3) containing a food product (4). A sealing (5) closes the package. At the two opposite ends of the package, handles (6) are present for allowing a good handling of the package. These handles comprise further stiffened strips (7). The top web (3) comprises two layers in the part A and one layer in the part B. The precut (8) in the top layer (10) gives the opportunity to pull a strip which tears the sealing (9) in the area (11) and the opening is then achieved by pulling until the end of the strip (12), which gives a clear opening of the top web of the package. The bottom layer (13) remains as such in the package. It is clear that before opening the package, it has to be reheated. After the opening, the package is inverted and folded for discharging the food product (4) contained therein.

Claims: Packaging for food product useful for boil-in-bag or microwave comprising a sealed flexible pouch with a thermoformed bottom web (2) and a top web (3) of a monooriented material, said top web comprising a precut (8), which operates as a starting pull tab for the opening, characterised in that one part of the top web consists of two layers (10, 13) sealed together on their edges, the precut being between these edges, in the outer layer and present transversely to the orientation of the film of said layer and in that the flexible pouch comprises at the two opposite ends handles (6), each stiffened with a strip (7) of material. Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the part with the two layers (10, 13) is of 1 to 2 cm. Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that the precut (8) is near to one edge of the flexible pouch and approximately in the middle of this edge. Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that the top web (3) is made of a monooriented plastic film. Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottom web (2) is of formable plastic laminate. Packaging according to claim 1, characterised in that the stiffened material (7) is high density Polyethylene.

Inventors: ARONSSON SOLVEIG, ARONSSON, SOLVEIG
Applicants: NESTLE SA, SOCIETE DES PRODUITS NESTLE S.A.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B65D75
IPC codes: B65D75