Abstract:
A system and method for displaying items such as food allowing for an unobstructed view of the food item is disclosed. The system includes a backer card and a transparent film. The food item is stored in the transparent film allowing an unobstructed view of the food item. An upper portion of the transparent film is secured to the backer card leaving a portion of the transparent film below the point of attachment unsecured allowing the food item to move away from the backer card. Information pertaining to the food item is printed on the backer card leaving the view of the food item unobstructed.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    Embodiments of the invention are directed to packaging, and more particularly to food packaging that enables complete visibility of packaging contents while allowing for robust labeling of the package. 
         [0003]    2. Background Information 
         [0004]    Currently, fresh meat as bought in the meat case is packaged in either Styrofoam trays with plastic wrap, modified atmosphere packaging, or vacuum film packaging. Styrofoam trays are not transparent and limit the visibility of the product. Modified atmosphere packaging may be clear, but is not transparent (i.e. one cannot see through the material). Vacuum film packaging may clear, but any communication information such as labeling that is added to the package obscures the contents of the package. None of the current techniques for packaging meat allow the consumer to examine the cut of meat from all sides whilst also allowing for display of written information about the brand/product. 
         [0005]    Thus, conventional packaging has various shortcomings that are undesirable for the consumer—none allow examination of the product, e.g. meat cut from all sides, meaning poor quality parts of the meat are often obscured on the back side of the package or under information areas (e.g. fatty areas, gristle, greying areas, excess blood). If unpackaged (per the butcher case), it lacks any attached information on that brand or product. 
         [0006]    It would be beneficial to have packaging that enable a consumer to visually examine the packaged contents by having a totally transparent package around the product, e.g. meat piece, enabling complete visibility of the contents, while enabling full brand and product information to be displayed without obscuring the packaged contents. A consumer would then have all the necessary information to choose the best brand and product for them, without having to open the package whilst still displayed at the retail shelf. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0007]    In one aspect, a package assembly is disclosed. In one embodiment, the package assembly is for food. The food package assembly includes a backer card and a transparent film. The transparent film is disposed with at least a portion adjacent the backer card, the transparent film having a front side, a back side that faces the backer card opposite the front side, and a cavity disposed between the front side and the back side. The transparent film is attached to the backer card at an attachment location disposed only above the cavity, enabling a portion of transparent film below the attachment location to move away from the backer card, and, the cavity does not extend laterally beyond the backer card. 
         [0008]    In some embodiments, the backer card has header and base portions, with the portion of the transparent film attached to the backer card disposed between the header and base portions. In some embodiments, the backer card&#39;s base portion has front and rear sections, with the front section facing the transparent film and the rear section facing away from the transparent film. In some embodiments, the front and rear sections each have information printed on a single side of the backer card, with the back section folded behind the front section, exposing the single side of the backer card in the front and back sections. 
         [0009]    In some embodiments, the back side of the transparent film is flat, and the cavity is sized and shaped to hold a food item. In some embodiments, a food item is disposed in the cavity. In some embodiments, the cavity is evacuated, and the front side of the transparent film complements a shape of the food item. In some embodiments, information is printed on the front section between the base portion and the back side of the transparent film. In some embodiments, the header portion, front section, and rear section are a single unit having a first fold separating the header portion and the rear section, and a second fold separating the front section and the rear section, with the header portion, front section, and rear section being printed on a single side of material comprising the backer card. In some embodiments, the transparent film is secured to the backer card by a fastener selected from the group consisting of adhesives, staples, rivets, stitching, and/or other methods. In some embodiments, the transparent film is removably attached to the backer card at a second location between the cavity and the backer card, thereby stabilizing the transparent film in place laterally while enabling the peeling of the transparent film from the backer card at the second location. 
         [0010]    In another aspect, a method for packaging an item is disclosed. In some embodiments, the item is food and includes sealing a food item in a transparent film, printing information relevant to the food item on a front of a backer card, and securing an upper portion of the transparent film to an upper portion of the backer card. The transparent film has a first side with a first transparent portion and a second side with a second transparent portion. In some embodiments, the transparent film below the upper portion of the transparent film is free to move relative to the backer card, and the transparent film is located entirely within the front of the backer card covering the information on the front of the backer card. 
         [0011]    In some embodiments, the backer card is folded into a header with front and rear portions thereby securing the upper portion of the transparent film to an upper portion of the backer card including securing the upper portion of the transparent film between the front and header portions. In some embodiments, a portion of the information relevant to the food item is not covered by the transparent film. In some embodiments, sealing the food item in a transparent film includes inserting the food item between the first side and second side, removing air from between the first and second sides, and sealing a perimeter of the first side to the second side. In some embodiments, printing information occurs prior to folding the backer card, and the backer card is printed on a single side. In some embodiments, a portion of the transparent film is adhered below the upper portion to the backer card with a removable fastener. 
         [0012]    In another aspect, a method of displaying an item is disclosed. In some embodiments, the item is food and includes sealing a food item in a transparent film having a first side having a first transparent portion and a second side having a second transparent portion, securing an upper portion of the transparent film to an upper portion of a backer card, leaving the transparent film below the upper portion of the transparent film free to move relative to the backer card, the transparent film being located entirely within the front of the backer card and covering a portion of printed information on the front of the backer card, and suspending the backer card from the upper portion of the backer card. 
         [0013]    In some embodiments, a header portion of the backer card is folded forward, and the upper portion of the transparent film is secured between the backer card and the header portion of the backer card. In some embodiments, the transparent film has a perimeter portion around the food item and between the first and second sides, and the perimeter portion is transparent. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  illustrates a view of an embodiment of a package assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  illustrates a backer card from the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates the backer card of  FIG. 2  and a transparent film surrounding a food product. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  illustrates the backer card and transparent film of  FIG. 3  with the transparent film being positioned on the backer card. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  illustrates the backer card and transparent film of  FIG. 3  with the transparent film being secured to the backer card. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional view of the backer card and transparent film of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  illustrates a food product within the transparent film being secured to a backer card. 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  illustrates an alternative embodiment of a package assembly. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]      FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of an unassembled food package  100  that enables an unobscured view into the package  100  while allowing for printed information to be displayed without obscuring the package contents. The food package  100  is generally formed of a backer card  102  shown on the right hand side of the drawing, and a transparent film  104  shown on the left hand side of the drawing. Throughout this description and the accompanying claims, the use of the terms upper, lower, above, and below refer to the orientation as shown in the figures. The packaging may be rotated such that a top of the backer card shown would lie to the left or right. The backer card  102  may be cardboard, plastic, or other semi-rigid material sturdy enough to support the package contents as is generally known in the food industry. The transparent film  104  may be a vacuum pack film such as cast nylon, cast polypropylene, or other types of transparent film, including multi-layer films as known in the industry. 
         [0023]    The transparent film  104  has a front side  106  and a back side  108  opposite the front side  106 . A cavity  110  is disposed between the front side  106  of the transparent film  104  and the back side  108 . A food product  112  may be packaged within the cavity  110 . The front side  106  and the back side  108  of the transparent film  104  may be sealed to one another along a perimeter of the cavity  110 . The seal  114  between the back  108  and front side  106  of the transparent film  104  may be airtight, and the cavity  110  may be vacuum packed. In some embodiments, air within the cavity  110  may be replaced with a gas mixture such as a mix of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide. The transparent film  104  may extend above the cavity  110  further than it extends toward the sides or below the cavity  110 . In some embodiments, the back side  108  of the transparent film  104  may be flat, such that it may lie flush against a flat surface such as the backer card  102 . In other embodiments, the back side  108  of the transparent film  104  may be shaped to complement the product packaged in the cavity  110 . For example, if the product were spherical, the back side  108  of the transparent film  104  may have a hemispherical shape. 
         [0024]    The front side  106  of the transparent film  104  may generally complement a shape of the product packaged in the cavity  110 . In some embodiments in which the back side  108  of the transparent film  104  is flat, the front side  106  of the transparent film  104  may extend away from the back side  108  in the shape of the package contents to provide space for the cavity  110 . 
         [0025]    The backer card  102  provides a surface for securing the transparent film  104  and a surface for printing information regarding the product. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the backer card  102  is divided into a base portion  116  and a header portion  118 . The side of the backer card  102  that is visible in  FIG. 1  will be referred to as the inner side  120 , and the side of the backer card  102  opposite the inner side  120  will be referred to as the outer side  122 . When the backer card  102  is folded, as will be explained hereafter, the inner side  120  faces inward and is not be visible, while the outer side  122  faces outward and is visible. Information printed on the inner side  120  would not be visible to a consumer inspecting the package  100 , while information printed on the outer side  122  would be visible to a consumer inspecting the package  100 . 
         [0026]    The header portion  118  may have a fold line  124  at which the header portion  118  may be folded, over the base portion  116  such that the inner side  120  of the header portion  118  faces the inner side  120  of the base portion  116 . As will be explained below, an upper portion  126  of the transparent film  104  may extend between the header portion  118  and the base portion  116 , and be secured between the two portions. The base portion  116  may be further divided into a front section  128  and a rear section  130 , divided by a fold line  132 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 2  illustrates the backer card  102  with the front section  128  being folded over the rear section  130  at the fold line  124  such that the inner side  120  of the front section  128  faces the inner side  120  of the rear section  130 . An adhesive may adhere the inner side  120  of the front section  128  to the inner side  120  of the rear section  130 . The adhesive may be applied in a strip  134  as shown in  FIG. 2 , or it may be applied over a larger area between the two sections. When the rear section  130  of the backer card  102  is folded over the front section  128 , information printed on the outside surface  122  of the front section  128  will appear on the front of the package assembly  100 , while information printed on the outside surface  122  of the rear section  130  will appear on a rear surface of the package assembly  100 . 
         [0028]    In  FIG. 3 , the transparent film  104  housing a food item  112  in its cavity  110  is shown being placed over the backer card  102  such that the back side  108  faces the outer surface  122  of the front section  128  of the backer card  102 . The cavity  110  and the backer card  102  are each sized to ensure that the cavity  110  does not extend past the edges  136  of the backer card  102 . The outer edges  138  of the transparent film  104  may be sized to align with the outer edge  136  of the backer card  102 . 
         [0029]    In  FIG. 4 , the transparent film  104  is shown in place against the backer card  102 . The header portion  118  of the backer card  102  is shown being folded forward with the upper portion  126  of the transparent film  104  being disposed between the base portion  116  and the header portion  118 .  FIG. 5  illustrates the header portion  118  being folded completely with the transparent film  104  being secured to the backer card  102 . The header portion  118  may secured to the transparent film  104  and the transparent film  104  to the base portion  116 , securing the transparent film  104  in place.  FIG. 5 a    illustrates a cross section of the package  100  illustrating the folded backer card  102  and its relation to the transparent film  104 . 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , the transparent film  104  is secured to the backer card  102  at a location only above the cavity  110 , allowing the transparent film  104  below the cavity  110  to move away from the backer card  102 . When the cavity  110  is moved away from the backer card  102 , a consumer may inspect the contents of the cavity  110  from the back side  108  as well as the front side  106 . The backer card  102  may be printed with product information such as nutrition information, product identification, product branding, and other information. Because the entire outside  122  of the backer card  102  may be printed without regard for allowing visibility of the product, it may be possible to include more information than in a traditional package. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the contents of the cavity  110  may obscure a portion of the backer card  102 , such that it may only be observed by moving the transparent film  104  away from the backer card  102 . This encourages interaction by the consumer to physically move the transparent film  104  to observe additional information. 
         [0031]    Also shown in  FIG. 6  is a temporary adhesive  140  that temporarily adheres the transparent film  104  below the secured portion to the backer card  102 . The temporary adhesive may inhibit the transparent film  104  from shearing relative to the backer card  102 , but still allow the transparent film  104  to be pulled away from the backer card  102 . The temporary adhesive may comprise a material such as low tack adhesive, fugitive adhesive, pressure sensitive adhesive, or other suitable adhesives as known in the art. 
         [0032]      FIG. 7  illustrates another embodiment of a food package  700 . The embodiment of  FIG. 7  is similar to the previously described embodiment and like elements will not be described in further detail. In  FIG. 7 , the backer card  702  is rectangle in shape to allow for a different shape of food item. Additionally, in  FIG. 7  the food item  704  in the cavity is irregular in shape and the seal  706  between the front side of the transparent film and the backside is generally rectangular, rather than conforming to the shape of the food item  704 . The transparent film may have a perforation  708  between the cavity and the upper portion secured to the backer card  702 . The transparent film may be torn at the perforation  708  removing the food item  704  from the backer card, while maintaining the package seal  706 . Additionally, the seal  706  between the front side and the back side of the film may be removable, such that the front side may be peeled away from the back side to remove the food item. 
         [0033]    In another aspect, methods for packaging items, such as food items in a package consistent with the previously described packaging. A food item, such as a cut of meat, is sealed within the transparent film  104  between the front side  106  and the back side  108 . The transparent film  104  has at least a transparent portion on the front side and a transparent portion on the back side, enabling viewing of the front and back of the food item. Preferably, the transparent film  104  is completely transparent allowing an unobscured view of the food item. Information relevant to the food item is printed on the front of the backer card  102 . For example, information such as nutritional information, branding information, source information, or other consumer information is printed on the front of the backer card  102 . 
         [0034]    An upper portion of the transparent film  104  is secured to backer card  102 , leaving the transparent film  104  below the upper portion of the transparent film  104  free to move relative to the backer card  102 . The transparent film  104  is located entirely within the front of the backer card  102  and covers the information printed on the front of the backer card  102 . The information is obscured by the contents of the package when the transparent film  104  is in place against the backer card  102 , but may be viewed by moving the transparent film  104  away from the backer card  102 . The transparent film  104  may be moved away by a consumer while the packaging remains sealed and on the shelf. A portion of the information relevant to the package may be unobscured by the transparent film  104 , such that a consumer may read it without having to move the contents. The unobscured information may serve as a prompt, indicating to a potential purchaser that further information is available behind the package contents. 
         [0035]    The backer card  102  may be folded into the header portion  118 , front section  128 , and rear section  130 . The upper portion of the transparent film  104  may then be secured to the backer card  102  by securing the upper portion of the transparent film  104  between front section  128  and the header portion  118 . For example, the upper portion of the transparent film  104  may be stapled between the header portion  118  and the front section  128  of the backer card  102 . The backer card  102  may be printed with information prior to folding. The information may be printed on a single side of the backer card  102  that is then displayed on the outside of the backer card  102  once folded. 
         [0036]    The food item may be sealed in the transparent film  104  by inserting the food item between the front side  106  and back side  108 , removing air from between the front side  106  and back side  108 , and sealing a perimeter of the front side to the back side. The air may be replaced by an alternative atmosphere for preserving the contents, for example nitrogen. 
         [0037]    In another aspect, a method of displaying items is disclosed such as food items. A food item is sealed in a transparent film  104  and an upper portion of the transparent film  104  is secured to an upper portion of a backer card  102 , leaving the transparent film  104  below the upper portion of the transparent film  104  free to move relative to the backer card  102 . The transparent film  104  is located entirely within the front of the backer card  102  and covers a portion of printed information on the front of the backer card  102 . The backer card  102  is then suspended from the upper portion of the backer card  102 . A header portion  118  of the backer card  102  may be folded forward and the upper portion of the transparent film  104  may be secured between the backer card  102  and the header portion  118  of the backer card  102 . 
         [0038]    Although the invention has been described with reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings and the embodiments disclosed thereon, the invention is not limited to the described embodiments. For example, while the backer card  102  is shown as a double folded card, a backer card  102  could have more or less folds or even no folds. Additionally, while the food package is described in an upright configuration with the film  104  attached to the backer card  102  above the cavity  106 , the use of the terms upper, lower, side, above, and below are used only as a directional reference relative to the food package  100  as shown. Embodiments are not limited to the upright configuration and the food package  100  could be rotated ninety degrees with the attachment to the side of the food package  100 . For example, in embodiments in which the package  100  was rotated clockwise 90 degrees, upper and above would refer to the right, and lower and below would refer to the left. Further modifications may be made while still falling within the same inventive principles stated in the appended claims.