Patent Publication Number: US-11034469-B2

Title: Method for forming a reclose mechanism on a reclosable package

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/913,784, filed on Jun. 10, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/316,188, filed on Dec. 9, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,468,786, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/824,056, filed on Jun. 25, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,088,421, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/258,605, filed on Oct. 25, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,810,302, which are all hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to food packaging, and more specifically to food packages for containing pre-sliced food products having a fluffed appearance. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many food products are often presliced and packaged for sale to consumers. For example, thinly sliced food products, such as luncheon meats, are often presliced and packaged in an ordered stack wherein only the first or top slice is viewed from the package exterior. In one known example, the presliced stack is vacuum-sealed within a flexible bag or pouch that is either labeled or is contained within a labeled rigid container, such as a cardboard container. It is also known that such flexible packages may be made reclosable once unsealed by the consumer, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,853 issued Dec. 10, 1996, entitled MULTI-SEAL RECLOSEABLE FLEXIBLE PACKAGE FOR DISPLAYING THINLY SLICED FOOD PRODUCTS. In another example, the ordered stack is held within a rigid package formed to conform to the dimensions of the sliced and ordered stack and a lid covering the package, such as a plastic package of bologna having a cylindrical rigid base conforming to the ordered stack and a lid that covers the base. 
     Alternatively, thinly sliced food products are packaged such that the slices are randomly arranged or jumbled within the package. The jumbled slices, rather than lying flat on each other in an orderly stack form, lie ruffled such that there are bends and curves in the meat slices with space or air gaps present in between some of the adjacent slices. This gives the sliced food product a “freshly-sliced deli” appearance or a “fluffed” look. Many consumers prefer the fluffed look since it resembles the look of food products that are freshly sliced at the deli in comparison to the pressed meat look of traditional ordered stack packaging where the slices lie flush engagement with adjacent upper and lower slices. Such fluffed food products are typically sealed in a random arrangement within a flexible bag or pouch. Typically, the packages for containing such food products do not conform to the shape of the individual slices, as in many ordered stack packages, since the food product is not intended to look as though it has been stacked. 
     However, presliced and fluffed food products often do not retain their fluffed look in these conventional packages. In particular, the food products tend to move, shift and settle within the package during manufacturing, distribution and storage of the packages. Additionally, flexible packages allow externally applied forces of the exterior surfaces of the packages due to handling and storage to compress portions of the fluffed product. Such action causes much of the space or air gaps present between adjacent slices to be removed. Accordingly, once on display for the consumer, these products have unfortunately lost much of their “fluff”, reducing the freshly sliced appearance that is sought to be achieved by the manufacturer. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for a package that will result in the better retention of a desired fluffed appearance of a presliced food product for display to consumers. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention advantageously addresses the needs above as well as other needs by providing a food package for containing a sliced food product and that better retains a freshly-sliced or fluffed look in the food product. Preferably, the present package includes a stand-up feature that allows the fluffed sliced food product to be better displayed to the consumer than if it were lying flat on its bottom wall of its base member. In addition, the preferred package herein has a rigid-rigid construction so that additional support sleeves or the like into which the flexible packages are deposited are not needed for display purposes. 
     The preferred package is specifically adapted to maintain the ruffling of thin meat slices by the configuration of the compartment. Generally, the size or volume of the compartment will be carefully tailored to that of the size or volume of meat slices to be contained therein so that shifting of the packaged, fluffed or ruffled meat slices is minimized during movements of the package. To this end, the walls of the compartment are configured to engage and bias the meat in a predetermined manner for keeping the bends or ruffles in the deli-meat slices despite package handling and the like. 
     More particularly, the compartment has sidewalls extending between the bottom and top of the package in an other than vertical orientation. At least one, and preferably several of the sidewalls can be provided with an inward taper toward each other as they progress toward the bottom of the compartment. In other words, one or more of the side walls include taper sections or ramp sections. Accordingly, only some of the meat slices are funneled downwardly to take up the smaller space or volume present toward the bottom of the compartment with the majority of the volume of meat slices kept held or propped up toward the upper end of the compartment which presents the meat slices with progressively greater volume in which to fit. Thus, only the relatively few meat slices at the container bottom will be subject to significant compression forces from above that can eliminate the fluffing therein, while the great majority of the slices supported on these bottom slices will retain their fluffy look. 
     The taper of the compartment side walls is at a relatively large angle to the vertical such that the bottom wall is of small size relative to the upper compartment opening. Accordingly, the space in the compartment widens or increases fairly quickly from the bottom up. Because of this taper of the sidewalls, there will only be a relatively small amount of meat funneled to the bottom of the compartment in the confined space thereat. As such, most of the meat in the compartment will be provided with enough space so that the slices are not compressed. In particular, since the preferred package herein is constructed to provide a viewing window through the cover to the contents of the compartment as described hereinafter, it is the meat slices at or adjacent to the top of the compartment in which the fluffy look thereof is most important. Thus, the tapered compartment as described above enables meat slices to retain their fluffed look at locations in the compartment that are most important from a point-of-sale perspective. Additionally, the preferred package is also configured such that the meat slices retain the fluffed appearance along the edges of the compartment since the meat slices are viewable through the sides of the tapered compartment, i.e., the sides of the preferred compartment are also important from a point-of-sale perspective. 
     At the same time, this progressively increasing space is sized to closely match that of the volume of meat to be received therein so that the meat will be held between the sidewalls and the cover against shifting which can cause the meat slices to lose their fluffiness. As mentioned, the tapered sidewalls provide the meat slices with a slight upward bias toward the cover so that they are lightly held therebetween. This retains the fluffed slices substantially stationary in the compartment so that they do not move and push against each other such as when the package is being handled. In the preferred form, three compartment sidewalls are tapered as described and the fourth side wall extends substantially vertically between the bottom wall and the upper opening at the forward side of the compartment, for reasons described hereinafter. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the package is adapted to be self-standing in a generally vertical, display orientation with the bottom wall of the meat compartment extending upwardly from a surface on which the package is supported. As previously mentioned, the preferred package has the front side wall portion of the compartment configured to extend substantially normal to the compartment bottom wall. This side wall extends for a predetermined distance so as to space the juncture between it and the bottom wall, and the front portion of a transverse upper lip of the base member by a distance sufficient to allow them to cooperate to keep the package in its display orientation. Herein, the display orientation is typically referred to as being vertical although it will be understood that this can include a slight rearward incline of the self-standing package herein. This vertical display orientation provides the benefit that the package may be displayed on the retailer&#39;s shelf such that consumers can easily view the product through the viewing window(s) of the cover or lid. Advantageously, special merchandisers are not required for display since the packages may simply be turned in a vertical orientation and placed on a shelf for display. 
     The compartment is positioned toward the front of the base member so that when the package is pivoted up approximately ninety degrees from the horizontal orientation thereof to the vertical orientation, the center of gravity of the package loaded with relatively heavy, fluffed sliced meat, e.g. deli ham or turkey slices, is shifted downwardly to provide the package with stability in it self-standing, display orientation. To this end, the geometric center of the rectangular bottom wall can be displaced toward the front of the package relative to the center of the rectangular upper end thereof. With the previously-described preferred small size of the bottom wall for meat fluffing purposes, the rear edge of the compartment bottom wall can be displaced forwardly of the package center, as well. 
     The tapered opposite side wall portions of the compartment on either side (or rectangular ends) of the base member also act to push the meat slices inward from the sides toward the vertical center line of the package. The taper of the rear side wall portion generally cooperates with the normal front side wall portion to push the meat slices forwardly toward alignment with the center of the bottom wall. As mentioned, this positioning of the compartment as well as the tapered configuration of the compartment rear side wall shifts the weight of the meat forwardly in the compartment so that the center-of-gravity of the package is lower when the package is pivoted to stand on its forward side for display. 
     Another effect that the tapered configuration of the side wall portions provides is to push or bias the meat slices upwardly in the compartment as the volume of the compartment progressively enlarges toward the upper end thereof, as has been mentioned. Again, when pivoted for display, this lifting action on the meat slices will cause the weight of the meat to be shifted forwardly in the vertically oriented package. Since in its generally vertical orientation, the package preferably is slightly tilted rearward to rest on the corner juncture of the front and bottom compartment walls, this forward weighting of the package further assists in stabilizing it for display. Thus, the forward position of the compartment and the taper of the compartment side walls cause the center-of-gravity of the vertically oriented package to be lowered and shifted toward the front of the package, so that the package is more resistant to tipping and falling over when pivoted to its display position. 
     The taper of the compartment rear side wall and the lack of such a taper on the forward side wall are such that the center of the bottom wall is shifted forwardly in the package, as previously discussed. The rear side wall portion can be tapered such that not only is the bottom wall off-center, but so that its rear edge is also disposed forwardly of the base center. In one form, the rear side wall can be more gradually tapered than the tapered opposite side wall portions, and it can be provided with a longer length in its tapering direction so as to position and shift the bottom wall forwardly in the package, as has been described. 
     The package, and specifically the base member thereof is also adapted to shift the center-of-gravity of its contents as described above for being oriented vertically for display purposes, while maintaining the stability of the packages in their horizontal orientation. More particularly, the base member has wells or foot portions formed at either rear corner that serve as feet for the base when horizontally disposed, e.g., stored in a distribution truck, retailer storage shelf or a consumer refrigerator. The space in the wells is significantly less than that in the main compartment in which the meat slices are received. Thus, any meat that may be located in the wells is also kept to a minimum. 
     When the package is pivoted to its display orientation, the wells will be toward the top of the package. Because the weight of the material used for the well walls is small relative to the weight of the meat slices, the wells do not cause the package to be top heavy in the vertical position which otherwise can cause undesired instability and tipping problems. At the same time, the wells are formed to approximately the same depth as the main compartment so that their bottom walls are aligned (preferably coplanar with) with that of the main compartment to provide stable support for the base member in its horizontal orientation. 
     The taper of the opposite side wall portions of the main compartment spaces the opposite side or end edges of the rectangular compartment bottom wall inwardly from the corresponding side or ends of the base member at the upper periphery thereof. Further, the tapered rear side wall portion spaces the compartment bottom wall forwardly in the base member. Accordingly, the bottom wall of the food compartment is disposed intermediate the bottom walls of the rear corner wells and forwardly therefrom so that the three bottom walls are arranged in a triangular orientation relative to each other. This triangular spacing or arrangement of the bottom walls provides a secure tripod support for the base in its horizontal position. Additionally, the rear wells are shaped to nest within the lid of adjacent packages in a horizontal stack for reducing side-to-side movement of packages within a stack, while the front wall nests into the lid of adjacent packages in the horizontal stack together with the rear wells for reducing front-to-back movement of the packages within the stack. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a food package for sliced food products is provided that includes a rigid tray or base member forming a compartment for containing the food product and a rigid cover or rigid lid sealing the compartment. Advantageously, the base member includes a bottom wall and side wall portions upstanding therefrom that are configured to engage and hold the food product within the compartment such that it will minimize shifting and movement of the product within the compartment; thus, better retaining the fluffed looked upon display for the consumer. Preferably, the food package is generally rectangularly shaped in a plan view. 
     Additionally, in another feature, the rigid lid hermetically seals against the rigid base member at sealing surfaces extending about the opening of the compartment. Advantageously, due to this hermetic seal, the food product is not required to be sealed within a flexible bag or pouch within the rigid tray/rigid lid. This feature also reduces packaging costs, saves packaging material and eliminates steps in the assembly process. Additionally, according to one embodiment, once the lid is unsealed by the consumer, the lid may be re-closed into the compartment to provide easy storage of the food package in the consumer&#39;s refrigerator. Thus, the consumer is not required to provide another container or bag to store the food product. 
     Furthermore, since the base member and lid are generally rigid, normal externally applied forces on the surfaces of package do not affect or compress the product within. All of this helps to maintain a fluffed look to the consumer. 
     In one embodiment, the invention can be characterized as a food package for containing sliced food products, the food package comprising: a rigid base member; a compartment of the base member in which slices of a food product are received; a bottom wall of the compartment; side wall portions of the compartment upstanding from the bottom wall and having a predetermined configuration for engaging the food product to hold the slices in a fluffed arrangement thereof; an opening to the compartment above the bottom wall; and a rigid lid covering the opening to contain the sliced food product within the compartment for providing a rigid-rigid packaging of the sliced food product with the rigid base member. 
     In another embodiment, the invention can be characterized as a food package for sliced food products, the food package comprising: a base member having a compartment for receiving the slices of food product therein; an upper opening of the compartment through which the slices are inserted into the compartment; a bottom wall of the compartment having a predetermined size smaller than that of the compartment upper opening; a cover sized to fit over the upper opening for retaining the food slices in the compartment; and at least one tapered wall extending between the bottom wall to bias the food slices toward the cover for holding the slices against shifting. 
     In another embodiment, the invention can be characterized as a food package having a horizontal orientation and slightly inclined or vertical display orientation, the food package comprising: a base member having an upper periphery with the package in the horizontal orientation thereof, there being a center of the upper periphery; a main compartment of the base member for receiving a food product therein; a bottom wall of the main compartment having a predetermined configuration including a center that is offset from the center of the base member upper periphery to shift the weight of the food product downwardly with the package in the display orientation thereof; a tapered side wall portion upstanding from the bottom wall along one side thereof that generally lifts the food product away from the bottom wall to shift the weight of the food product forwardly with the package in the display orientation thereof; and a side wall portion opposite the tapered side wall portion that extends generally perpendicular to the bottom wall for being positioned adjacent to a support surface with the package in the display orientation thereof. 
     In another embodiment, the invention can be characterized as a food package for containing sliced food products, the food package comprising: a rigid base member; a compartment of the base member in which slices of a food product are received, the sliced food product arranged to have a fluffed appearance within the compartment; a bottom wall of the compartment; side wall portions of the compartment upstanding from the bottom wall; an opening to the compartment above the bottom wall; and a rigid lid covering the opening to contain the sliced food product within the compartment for providing a rigid-rigid packaging of the sliced food product with the rigid base member. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a food package in accordance with the present invention showing the package in its horizontal orientation; 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the food package of  FIG. 1A  shown in a vertical standup orientation for displaying the food product, for example, on a display shelf; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the food package of  FIGS. 1A and 1B , illustrating a rigid base member and a rigid lid for closing the base member; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the base member of the food package of  FIG. 1  illustrating angled side wall portions, a vertically extending front side wall portion, and wells or foot portions for stabilizing the food package in its horizontal orientation; 
         FIG. 4A  is a plan view of the base member of  FIG. 3  illustrating a bottom wall from which the angled side wall portions extend upwardly and the foot portions at adjacent corners of the base member spaced apart from the front side wall portion; 
         FIG. 4B  is a bottom view of the base member of  FIG. 4A  illustrating a tripod support formed by the bottom wall and the foot portions; 
         FIG. 5  is an elevational view taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4A  showing the alignment of the bottom wall with the bottoms of the foot portions for supporting the package in its horizontal orientation; 
         FIG. 6  is an end elevational view taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4A  illustrating the configuration of the angled rear side wall portion; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross sectional view of the base member taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 4A  illustrating the configuration of upper sections and ramp sections of the side wall portions relative to a bottom wall; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross sectional view of the base member taken along line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 4A  illustrating the configuration of an upper section and a ramp section of the rear side wall portion relative to the bottom wall; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the rigid lid of  FIG. 2  illustrating a ridge portion, vertically extending lid walls, a lid cover wall, lugs adapted to fit into the base member for a snap fit and flat channels for structural stability; 
         FIG. 10  is a top plan view of the lid of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is an elevational view taken along line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 10  illustrating the lugs for reclosing the lid once unsealed; 
         FIG. 12  is an end elevational view taken along line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a cross sectional view of the re-closing mechanism formed in the lid walls of the lid and the upper sections of the various side wall portions of the base member according to one embodiment; 
         FIGS. 14A and 14B  are schematic views of a food package described herein illustrating the deforming effect of the unsealing process on the lid with ( FIG. 14B ) and without ( FIG. 14A ) support channels formed in the lid; 
         FIG. 15  is a schematic view of the food package including the rigid lid and containing the food product, illustrating the functionality of the ramp section of the rear side wall portion in lowering the center of gravity of the food package and the food product when the food package is in the vertical or display orientation of  FIG. 1B ; 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of two food packages described herein stacked in the horizontal storage orientation illustrating the nesting of the foot portions and the front side wall portion within the lids within a stack of food packages to enhance stability and reduce lateral movement of individual packages within the stack; 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view of a food package described herein including an anvil and a rail used to substantially simultaneously form lugs and recesses in the package; 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of a food package described herein showing an alternative anvil and a rail used to substantially simultaneously form lugs and recesses in the package; 
         FIG. 19A  is a cross-sectional view of the food package of  FIG. 17  taken along line  19 A- 19 A thereof showing the formation of the lugs and recesses by the anvil and channel of the rail; 
         FIG. 19B  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 19A  but showing an alternative channel; 
         FIG. 20A  is a plan view of an anvil showing a flattened V-shape protrusion of the anvil; 
         FIG. 20B  is a plan view of an anvil showing a rounded shape protrusion of the anvil; 
         FIG. 21  is a perspective view of the underside of an anvil mechanism for production of the packages; 
         FIG. 22  is a perspective view of a rail mechanism for production of the packages; 
         FIG. 23  is a perspective view of the anvil of  FIG. 17 ; and 
         FIG. 24  is a flow diagram of the process steps involved in forming the lugs and recesses of the package. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The following description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims. 
     The present invention is generally directed to food packages  10  in which there is a molded tray or base member  12  having a compartment  14  formed therein as by thermoforming for receipt of food products  16  such as sliced food products, preferably arranged to have a “fluffed” appearance, such as sliced luncheon meats, as shown in  FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2 . As used throughout this specification, the term fluffed refers to the seemingly disorganized or random arrangement of a sliced food product, such as it may appear as it “falls off of a slicer” into a pile. Thus, a fluffed sliced food product includes food product that is piled, jumbled or stacked in a random or stacked-to-look-random arrangement. Additionally, the sliced food product may be sliced at a variety of thicknesses depending on the specific type of product, e.g., preferably, the food product is a meat product that is thinly sliced or “shaved” between about 0.035 to 0.055 inches thick, most preferably, about 0.045 inches thick. However, in other forms the slices may be thicker depending on the type of food product and fluffed look to be achieved, for example, up to 0.8 inches thick. The food package further includes a cover or lid  18  formed by thermoforming for example, that covers and is hermetically sealed to an opening  20  of the compartment  14  of the base member  12 . The lid  18  is designed to be opened (thus, unsealed) by the consumer and is then reclosable into the opening  20 . Preferably, the lid  18  and the base member  12  are made of a clear or at least partially transparent material such that the food product  16  is visible through the food package  10 . 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2 and 3 , the base member  12  includes a base or bottom wall  22  and side wall portions  24 ,  26  and  28  that have a predetermined configuration to engage and hold the food product within the compartment  14  such that it will minimize shifting and movement of the product within the compartment  14 ; thus, better retaining the fluffed looked of the food product  16  upon display for the consumer. In many embodiments, the side wall portions  24 ,  26  and  28  extend vertically downwardly from a ridge of the opening of the compartment a distance, then extend downwardly and inwardly toward the bottom wall  22  at an oblique angle. Thus, the side wall portions have angled or inclined taper or ramp sections and are best seen as ramp sections  62 ,  64  and  68  of  FIGS. 7-8 . These ramp sections function to push or hold the food product  16  contained within the compartment  14  upward toward the lid  18  and inward toward the center of the compartment  14 . Advantageously, this provides better viewing of the food product  16  through a window  30  of a label  32  adhered or otherwise placed over the lid  18 . Furthermore, these side wall portions also function to further retain the fluffed food product within the tapered compartment  14  formed by the bottom wall  22  and the various side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28 , minimizing shifting or movement of the food product  16  during distribution, storage and display. The angled side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28  are best viewed in  FIGS. 4A-6 . 
     Herein, the orientation of the package surfaces and components will normally be referenced to the  FIG. 1A  in a horizontal position of the package  10 . The horizontal orientation is typically used in the storage of the food package  10 , such as in a retailer&#39;s, distributor&#39;s or consumer&#39;s refrigerator. However, as is illustrated in  FIG. 1B , the package  10  is adapted to be rotated ninety degrees to stand on end or edge for display. Thus, the orientation of  FIG. 1B  is referred to as a stand-up orientation or a display orientation. As described herein, the horizontal orientation of  FIG. 1A  will generally be used as reference for the description of the package surfaces or walls and its components or contents. 
     It is also noted that while the construction of the food package  10  herein is the preferred form, it is manifest that the package  10  can take on other configurations from those illustrated and described herein. For example, in various forms, the base member  12  may have multiple compartments. Taper or ramp sections of the side wall portions may extend a portion of the length of the side wall portion, or extend a full length of a side wall portion. Likewise, the ramp sections of the respective side wall portions may extend toward and transition to the bottom wall  22  or may extend toward the bottom wall but separated from the bottom wall by an intermediate side wall section, such as a bottom ledge or similar section extending upward from the bottom wall. Additionally, although the food package  10  is illustrated in a generally rectangular geometry, the food package  10  may take on other geometries consistent with the present invention. Furthermore, one or more of the lid  18  and base member  12  may not be made of a clear material. In another alternative, the cover or lid can be in the form of a thin, flexible film sealing the compartment  14  of the base member  12 , although the rigid lid  18  is preferred for being re-closable onto the base member  12 , as described hereinafter. 
     In contrast to known containers for sliced food products, the package described herein is a generally rigid base member  12  and a generally rigid lid  18  design, for example, constructed of a thermoformed plastic material. Thus, the food package is a rigid-rigid design. Since the lid  18  is hermetically sealed into the opening  20  of the compartment  14 , the sliced food product  16  is not required to be further contained and sealed within a flexible bag or pouch within the compartment  14 . This feature reduces packaging costs, saves packaging material and eliminates steps in the assembly process. Additionally, this feature allows for easier access to the food product by the consumer, i.e., the consumer only has to open the lid  18  and does not have to open or unseal a further container or pouch within the package. Thus, in many embodiments, the food product  16  contacts and is retained within the compartment  14  by the interior surfaces of the base member  12  and the lid  18 . Furthermore, since the base member  12  and the lid  18  are generally rigid, normal externally applied forces to the surfaces of the package do not act to compress the product  16  within; thus, better preserving the desired fluffed look of the food product  16  for the consumer. 
     Also, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1A, 2 and 3  for example, a front side wall portion  34  of the rigid base member  12  forming a front side of the compartment  14  extends generally vertically from the opening  20  to the bottom wall  22 , i.e., the front side wall portion  34  is generally normal to the bottom wall  22 . Accordingly, the package  10  is designed to be stood-up or tipped on the edge on the front side wall portion  34 . Thus, the package  10  rests on a front edge  35  of the package  10  and a support surface  108  (see  FIG. 15 ) of the front side wall portion  34  in the vertical or stand-up orientation illustrated in  FIG. 1B . In the preferred form, the support surface  108  is the portion of the front side wall portion  34  at the junction of the front side wall portion and the bottom wall  22 , such that the bottom wall  22  extends substantially vertically while in the display orientation. This provides the benefit that the package  10  may be displayed on the retailer&#39;s shelf in a display orientation such that consumers will advantageously view the product  16  through the viewing windows  30  through the rigid lid  18 . Advantageously, special merchandisers are not required for display since the package  10  may simply be turned in a vertical orientation and placed on a shelf for display. It is noted that the front side wall portion may also extend downward and inward (or outward) at a slight angle toward the bottom wall  22  in some embodiments (i.e., the front side wall portion  34  may be other than normal with the bottom wall  22 ) and still be adapted to stand up. 
     Also illustrated, the rear side wall portion  28  opposite the front side wall portion  34  includes a ramp section that extends vertically downward and inward to the bottom wall  22  at an oblique angle. Thus, the ramp section of the rear side wall portion  28  extends downward and tapers inward toward the bottom wall  22 . This inwardly tapering or ramping rear side wall portion not only functions to lift and hold the food product upwardly in the horizontal orientation, it also serves to hold or push the food product toward the center of the compartment  14  in the horizontal orientation, preferably in alignment over the bottom wall  22 . In this embodiment, since the front side wall portion  34  extends generally vertically from the opening  20 , the food product is pushed toward the center of the bottom wall  22  by the angled rear side wall portion. This effectively lowers the center of gravity of the package  10  when in the standup display orientation of  FIG. 1B  (i.e., the center of gravity is moved towards the front side wall portion  34 , see also  FIG. 15 ). Additionally, since the product is lifted, the center of gravity of the food package is also shifted slightly toward the lid in the vertical display orientation. These functions help to stabilize the food package  10  during the display orientation minimizing the risk that the package  10  will topple over. 
     Further illustrated, an additional feature provides a well-like foot portion  36  (also referred to as wells or well portions) formed at the junction of the rear side wall portion  28  and a respective adjacent side wall portion  24 ,  26  of the rigid base member  12 . Each foot portion  36  extends vertically from the opening  20  to a respective base portion  38 , which is generally horizontally coplanar with the bottom wall  22 . Advantageously, the foot portion(s)  36  provide stability to the food package  10  when the stacked in the horizontal or storage orientation of  FIG. 1A , e.g., stored in a distribution truck, retailer storage shelf or a consumer refrigerator. Such foot portions  36  are especially useful since the angled rear side wall portion  28  functions to shift the center of gravity of the food package  10  toward the lid  18  and the front side wall portion  34 , without the foot portions  36 , the package is less stable. In particular, multiply stacked food packages  10  in the horizontal orientation, such as would be during distribution and storage, are considerably less stable and will topple over. The foot portions  36  minimize such toppling but do not take away from the functionality that the angled rear side wall portion  28  provides by pushing the product  16  toward the center of the bottom wall  22  and upward toward the lid  18  of the food package  10 . Additionally, as illustrated in  FIG. 16 , the feet portions  36  and the front side wall portion  34  are shaped to nest within the lid  18  of adjacent packages  10  in a horizontal stack; thus, reducing lateral or horizontal movement (e.g., side-to-side and front-to-back movement) of packages  10  within a stack. 
     Referring next to  FIGS. 4A-8  as they relate to  FIGS. 1A-3 , more details surrounding the design of the base member and the compartment  14  formed therein are described. For example, in  FIG. 4A , the orientation of the bottom wall  22  in relation to the center of the base member  12  is illustrated. As can be seen, due to the side wall portions  24 ,  26  and  28  extending downward and inward toward the bottom wall  22  at an oblique angle, a center  99  of the rectangularly shaped bottom wall  22  is positioned closer to the front of the package, and more particularly closer to the front edge  35  of the transverse upper ridge portion  37  extending about the perimeter of the upper end of the package  10 . In the illustrated form, the rear edge  96  of the bottom wall  22  is located on the front side of the center  98  of the profile of the base member  12 . 
     The preferred base member  12  of  FIGS. 4A-8  is specifically adapted to maintain the ruffling of thin meat slices by the configuration of the compartment  14 . Generally, the size or volume of the compartment  14  is carefully tailored to that of the size or volume of meat slices to be contained therein so that shifting of the packaged, fluffed or ruffled meat slices is minimized during movements of the package. To this end, the side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  34  of the compartment  14  are configured to engage and bias the meat in a predetermined manner for keeping the bends or ruffles in the deli-meat slices despite package handling and the like. 
     The side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28  of the compartment  14  are upstanding from the bottom wall  22  and extend between the bottom and top of the package  10  in an other than vertical orientation. At least one, and preferably several of the side wall portions are provided with an inward taper toward each other as they progress toward the bottom wall  22  of the compartment  14 . Accordingly, only some of the meat slices are funneled downwardly to take up the smaller space or volume present toward the bottom of the compartment  14  with the majority of the volume of meat slices kept held or propped up toward the upper end of the compartment  14  which presents the meat slices with progressively greater volume in which to fit. Thus, only the relatively few meat slices at the container bottom will be subject to significant compression forces due to gravity from above that can eliminate the fluffing therein, while the great majority of the slices supported on these bottom slices will retain their fluffy look. 
     The taper of the compartment side walls  24 ,  26 ,  28  is at a relatively large angle to the vertical such that the bottom wall  22  is of small size relative to the upper compartment opening, which is best illustrated in  FIG. 4A . Accordingly, the space in the compartment  14  widens or increases fairly quickly from the bottom up (see the perspective view of  FIG. 3 ). Because of this taper of the side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28 , there will only be a relatively small amount of meat funneled to the bottom of the compartment  14  in the confined space thereat. As such, most of the meat in the compartment  14  will be provided with enough space so that the slices are not compressed. In particular, since the preferred package herein is constructed to provide a viewing window through the cover or lid to the contents of the compartment  14 , it is the meat slices at or adjacent to the top of the compartment  14  in which the fluffy look thereof is most important. Thus, this tapered compartment  14  as described above enables meat slices to retain their fluffed look at locations in the compartment  14  that are most important from a point-of-sale perspective. 
     At the same time, this progressively increasing space of the compartment  14  is sized to closely match that of the volume of meat to be received therein so that the meat will be held between the side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  34  and the lid  18  against shifting which can cause the meat slices to lose their fluffiness. As mentioned, the tapered side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28  provide the meat slices with a slight upward bias toward the lid  18  so that they are lightly held therebetween. This retains the fluffed slices substantially stationary in the compartment  14  so that they do not move and push against each other such as when the package is being handled. In the preferred form, three compartment side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28  are tapered as illustrated (e.g., include ramp sections as described below) and the front side wall portion  34  extends substantially vertically between the bottom wall  22  and the upper opening at the forward side of the compartment. 
     As described above, the package is adapted to be self-standing in a generally vertical, display orientation with the bottom wall  22  of the meat compartment extending upwardly from a surface  108  on which the package is supported (see  FIG. 15 ). As previously mentioned, the preferred package has the front side wall portion  34  of the compartment configured to extend substantially normal to the compartment bottom wall. The front side wall portion  34  extends for a predetermined distance so as to space the juncture between it and the bottom wall  22 , and the front portion or front edge  35  of a transverse upper ridge portion  37  of the base member by a distance sufficient to allow them to cooperate to keep the package in its display orientation. Additionally, the predetermined distance is designed relative to the volume of the food product to be contained within the compartment. Herein, the display orientation is typically referred to as being vertical although it will be understood that this can include a slight rearward incline of the self-standing package herein. This vertical display orientation provides the benefit that the package may be displayed on the retailer&#39;s shelf such that consumers can easily view the product through the viewing windows of the cover or lid. Advantageously, special merchandisers are not required for display since the packages may simply be turned in a vertical orientation and placed on a shelf for display. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the compartment  14  is positioned toward the front of the base member  12  so that when the package  10  is pivoted up approximately ninety degrees from the horizontal orientation thereof to the vertical orientation, the center of gravity of the package loaded with relatively heavy, fluffed sliced meat, e.g. deli ham or turkey slices, is shifted downwardly to provide the package with stability in it self-standing, display orientation. To this end, the geometric center  99  of the rectangular bottom wall  22  is displaced toward the front of the base member  12  relative to the center  98  of the rectangular upper end of the package  10 . With the preferred small size of the bottom wall  22  for meat fluffing purposes, the rear edge  96  of the compartment bottom wall  22  can be displaced forwardly of the package center  98 , as well. 
       FIGS. 5 and 7  better illustrate the configuration of the inwardly tapering side wall portions  24  and  26  upstanding from the bottom wall  22 . As best seen in the cross sectional view of  FIG. 7 , the upper section  60  of the side wall portion  24  extends generally vertically downward from the opening of the ridge  37  of the base member  12 . The upper section  60  then transitions to a ramp section  62  which extends generally downward and inward at an oblique angle (e.g., angle θ 1  relative to a vertical axis) toward the bottom wall  22 . A bottom section  66  transitions the ramp section  62  to the bottom wall  22 . Likewise, the upper section  60  of the side wall portion  26  extends generally vertically downward from the opening of the ridge  37  of the base member  12 . The upper section  60  then transitions to a ramp section  64  which also extends generally downward and inward at an oblique angle (e.g., angle θ 1 ) toward the bottom wall  22 . 
     Again, the angled ramp sections  62  and  64  of the side wall portions  24  and  26  function act to push the meat slices inward from the sides toward the vertical center line of the compartment  14 . Furthermore, the ramp sections  62  and  64  act to push or bias the meat slices upwardly in the compartment  14  as the volume of the compartment progressively enlarges toward the upper end of the compartment  14 . This positions the food product closer to the lid and increases the viewability of the food product through the windows  30  of the lid  18 . Additionally, these ramp sections  62  and  64  function to better contain the food product within the compartment in order to minimize movement of the product, thus, advantageously, better preserving the fluffed look of sliced food products. For example, the ramp sections  62  and  64  reduce the side-to-side movement of the food product within the compartment  14 . 
     The vertically dropping upper sections  60  function to provide structural stability to the base member  12 , which is important to minimize package abuse during distribution. The upper sections  60  also provide a volume within which the lid  18  will nest into. Additionally, as is described below, each upper section  60  includes a recess  52 , which is part of a re-closing mechanism that is adapted to snap fit together with corresponding lugs  50  of the lid  18 . As also illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the upper sections  60  include a horizontal ledge  100  such that the of the upper section  60  extends downward then inward the length of the horizontal ledge  100 , then continues to extend downward until it further transitions to the appropriate ramp section  62 ,  64 . The horizontal ledge  100  defines vertical support channels  94  for structural support and assisting in the gas flushing of the compartment as described below. 
       FIGS. 6 and 8  better illustrate the configuration of the inwardly tapering rear side wall portion  28  and the front side wall portion  34  upstanding from the bottom wall  22 . As best seen in the cross sectional view of  FIG. 8 , the upper section  60  of the rear side wall portion  28  extends generally vertically downward from the opening of the ridge  37  of the base member  12 . The upper section  60  also includes a horizontal ledge  100  as described below and then transitions to a ramp section  68  which extends generally downward and inward at an oblique angle (e.g., angle θ 2  relative to a vertical axis) toward the bottom wall  22 . A bottom section  70  transitions the ramp section  68  to the bottom wall  22 . Also, the front side wall portion  34  extends generally downward. It is noted that in alternative embodiments, the front side wall portion  34  may also extend inward at a slight angle, although not at as great and angle as the ramp sections  62 ,  64  and  68 . Alternatively, the ramp section  62 ,  64  and  68  may extend the entire length of the respective side wall portion, or may not extend completely to the bottom wall  22 , e.g., another vertical wall section transitions the respective ramp section to the bottom wall  22 . 
     The ramp section  68  generally cooperates with the normal front side wall portion  34  to push the meat slices forwardly toward alignment with the center  99  of the bottom wall  22 . Additionally, as illustrated in  FIG. 15 , this positioning of the compartment as well as the tapered configuration of the ramp section  68  of the rear side wall portion  28  shifts the weight of the meat forwardly in the compartment  14  so that the center-of-gravity of the package is lower when the package  10  is rotated to stand-up on edge in the display orientation of  FIG. 1B . Thus, a more stable package  10  is provided that is less susceptible to toppling over. 
     The ramp section  68  of the rear side wall portion  28  acts to push or bias the meat slices upwardly in the compartment  14  as the volume of the compartment  14  progressively enlarges toward the upper end thereof, as has been mentioned. Again, when pivoted for display, this lifting action on the meat slices will cause the weight of the meat to be shifted forwardly in the vertically oriented package (see  FIG. 15 ). 
     The ramp section  68  further functions to hold the food product contained within the compartment  14  upward toward the lid  18  and inward toward alignment with the center  99  of the bottom wall  22  (i.e., in a direction toward the front side wall portion  34 ) in order to better display the food product through the windows  30  of the lid  18 . Additionally, the ramp section  68  also functions to better contain the food product within the compartment in order to minimize movement of the product during distribution and storage; thus, advantageously, better preserving the fluffed look of sliced food products. For example, the ramp section  68  reduces front-to-back movement of the food product within the compartment  14 . The vertically dropping upper section  60  functions to provide structural stability to the base member  12  which is helpful to minimize package abuse during distribution, as well as provide a volume within which the lid  18  will nest into. 
     In preferred embodiments, the decline angle of ramp section  68  is greater than the decline angle of ramp sections  62  and  64  relative to the vertical axis, e.g., θ 2 &gt;θ 1 . In preferred embodiments, θ 1  is an angle between about 55-75 degrees, most preferably about 62.5 degrees, while θ 2  is an angle between about 65-75 degrees, most preferably about 69 degrees. The exact angles selected and dimensions of the various side walls will vary depending on the implementation and the food product to be contained therein. The exact angles selected and dimensions of the various side walls will vary depending on the implementation and the food product to be contained therein. 
     The taper of the ramp section  68  and the lack of such a taper on the front side wall portion  34  are such that the center of the bottom wall  99  is shifted forwardly in the package, as previously discussed. The rear side wall portion  28  can be tapered such that not only is the bottom wall  22  off-center, but so that its rear edge  96  is also disposed forwardly of the base center  98  (see  FIG. 4A ). In one form, the rear side wall portion  28  can be more gradually tapered than the tapered opposite side wall portions  24 ,  26 , and it can be provided with a longer length in its tapering direction so as to position and shift the bottom wall  22  forwardly in the package. 
     Together, the side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28  and the front side wall portion  34  form a tapered compartment within which the food product is contained such that the side-to-side and front-to-back movement of the food product within the compartment is minimized. Additionally, the side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28  and the front side wall portion  34  provide a clean, angled aesthetic look to the food package  10 . Overall, the ramp sections  62 ,  64 ,  68  of the side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28  reduce the volume of the compartment  14  that will contain the food product in comparison to a compartment forming a rectangular volume therein such that the same amount of food product will be better displayed when viewed through the window(s)  30  of the lid  18 . 
     The package, and specifically the base member  12  thereof is also adapted to shift the center-of-gravity of its contents as described above for being oriented vertically for display purposes, while maintaining the stability of the packages in their horizontal orientation. More particularly, the base member  12  has wells or foot portions  36  formed at either rear corner that serve as feet for the base when horizontally disposed, e.g., stored in a distribution truck, retailer storage shelf or a consumer refrigerator. The space in each foot portion  36  is significantly less than that in the main compartment  14  in which the meat slices are received. As such, the size of the foot portions  36  should be reduced relative to the size of the compartment  14 . Thus, any meat that may be located in the foot portions  36  is also kept to a minimum. 
     When the package is pivoted to its display orientation, the foot portions  36  will be toward the top of the package. Because the weight of the material used for the walls of the foot portions  36  is small relative to the weight of the food product, the foot portions  36  do not cause the package to be top heavy in the vertical position which otherwise can cause undesired instability and tipping problems. At the same time, the foot portions  36  are formed to approximately the same depth as the main compartment  14  so that their bottom walls  38  are aligned (preferably coplanar with) with that of the main compartment  14  to provide stable support for the base member  12  in its horizontal orientation. 
     The taper of the side wall portions  24 ,  26  of the main compartment  14  spaces the opposite side or end edges of the rectangular compartment bottom wall  22  inwardly from the corresponding side or ends of the base member  12  at the upper periphery thereof. Further, the tapered ramp section  68  of the rear side wall portion  28  spaces the compartment bottom wall  22  forwardly in the base member  12 . Accordingly, as best viewed in  FIG. 4B , the bottom wall  22  of the food compartment  14  is disposed intermediate the bottom walls  38  of the rear corner foot portions  36  and forwardly therefrom so that the three bottom walls  22 ,  38  are arranged in a triangular orientation relative to each other. This triangular spacing or arrangement of the bottom walls  22 ,  38  provides a secure tripod support for the base  12  in its horizontal position. Additionally, as illustrated in  FIG. 16 , the rear foot portions  36  are shaped to nest within the lid  18  of adjacent packages in a horizontal stack for reducing side-to-side movement of packages within a stack, while the front wall portion  34  nests into the lid  18  of adjacent packages in the horizontal stack together with the rear wells or foot portions  36  for reducing front-to-back movement of the packages within the stack. 
     Preferably, each foot portion  36  is formed as a small well in the rear corners of the base member  12  and formed generally at the junction of the rear side wall portion  28  and a respective adjacent side wall portion  24 ,  26 . The foot portions  36  are designed having dimensions such that the food product does not generally sit within the well formed by the foot portion  36 . If a substantial portion of the food product were to rest within the foot portion  36 , the center of gravity of the food package  10  when standing up on-end (e.g., standing in the display orientation of  FIG. 1B  on edge  35  and the front side wall portion  34 ), the center of gravity of the food package  10  would be slightly higher than if the food product did not fit within the foot portions  36 . Thus, by sizing the foot portions  36  relative to the food product such that a substantial portion of the food product does not fit within the volume formed by the foot portion  36 , the stability of the package  10  in the display orientation is improved. As stated above, the purpose of the foot portions  36  is to aid in the stability of the food package  10  in the horizontal orientation of  FIG. 1A  without affecting the functionality of the tapered side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28 . Additionally, the sizing of the foot portions  36  is designed to be small enough to limit the amount of food product that may fit within the foot portion, yet large enough to be easily and cost effectively produced, for example, using known thermoforming techniques. For example, the smaller the foot portion, the more material required to form a foot portion having a specified thickness. Thus, in preferred embodiments, processing considerations also affect the overall size of the foot portions  36 . 
     As illustrated best in  FIG. 4A , the foot portions  36  generally have several wall sections  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88 ,  90  and  92  that extend downwardly towards an irregularly shaped pentagonal base  38 . Wall sections  74 ,  76  and  78  generally follow the dimensions of the opening  20  of the compartment. In other words, wall sections  74 ,  76  and  78  generally follow the outer edges of the rear side wall portion  28  and the respective side wall portion  24 ,  26 , i.e., wall sections  74  are parallel to the upper section  60  of respective ones of side wall portions  24  and  26 , while wall sections  78  are parallel to the upper section  60  of the rear side wall portion  28 . Each of the wall sections  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88 ,  90  and  92  extend generally vertically downward toward the base  38  and then extend vertically and taper slightly in one or more sections at an oblique angle to the base  38 . 
     It should be noted that many variations may be made to foot portions  36  consistent with the present invention. For example, the exact geometric shape of the foot portions  36  may be varied to suit the particular package and food product. Thus, the foot portions  36  may have a different number of wall sections that may be curved or straight and may have a differently shaped base  38 . It should be noted that although in preferred embodiments, a respective foot portion  36  is formed in each of the rear corners of the base member  12 , in other embodiments, a single foot portion positioned centrally along the rear side wall portion may be employed or another arrangement of multiple foot portions  36 . Generally, whatever the specific configuration of the foot portion  36 , the foot portion(s)  36  should be configured to provide support for one or more food packages in a horizontal orientation while not substantially reducing the functionality of the ramp section  68  of the rear side wall portion  28 . 
     In other embodiments, the base  38  of the foot portion  36  may be continuous with the bottom wall  22 , such that the bottom wall  22  extends towards the respective corners and is contiguous with the base  38 ; however, foot portions  36  separate from the bottom wall  22  are preferable since such alternative arrangement will shift the center of gravity of the food package  10  slightly upward when the food package is in the stand-up display orientation of  FIG. 1B . 
     Turning to more of the details, another feature illustrated in  FIGS. 1A-6  is that vertical channels  94  are formed in the upper sections  60  of the side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28 , the front side wall portion  34 , as well as within sections of the foot portions  36  (e.g., foot walls  74  and  78 ). These vertical extending channels  94  extend generally outward from the compartment  14  and run vertically along the respective wall sections. They functionally provide additional structural stability to the food package such that the food package will be better able to withstand top-to-bottom compression forces. This again serves to minimize package abuse during distribution. Minimizing package abuse is important to preserving the fluffed look of the sliced food product, since disturbance of the package dimensions through externally applied forces to the package surface will disturb the fluffed food product contained within and ultimately reduce the fluffed appearance of the product. 
     Additionally, since the food package  10  is preferably a gas-flushed package, the channels  94  function to assist evacuating air trapped along the sides and underneath the food product  16 . That is, the channels  94  provide a space for air to flow, during the vacuum packing process, excess air underneath and to the side of the food product can more easily be evacuated from the package  10 . Additionally, the channels  94  also provide a certain aesthetic look to the overall package design. 
     Furthermore, as illustrated in  FIGS. 7, 8 and 13 , the upper sections include horizontal ledges  100 . The channels  94  begin at the horizontal ledges  100  such that the outer edge of the horizontal ledge defines the outer periphery of the channels  94  extending downward while the inner edge of the horizontal ledge defines the inner periphery of the channels  94  extending downward. 
     Referring next to  FIGS. 9-12 , further details of the lid of  FIG. 2  will be described. As illustrated in  FIGS. 9-12 , the lid  18  appears without the label  32  affixed thereto. The lid  18  includes a lip or ridge portion  40  generally matching the geometry of the ridge portion  37  of the base member  12  and defining a periphery of the food package  10 . The lid  18  further includes lid walls  46  that extend vertically downward a distance and terminate at a flat lid cover wall  42  so that walls  42 ,  46 ,  48  cooperate to form a plug portion of the lid  18 . These lid walls  46  transition to each other at curved corner walls  48 . The lid walls  46  are adapted to fit within a vertical drop section of the base member  12  formed by the upper sections  60  of the side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28  and the upper section of the front side wall portion  34 . Thus, the ridge portion  40  of the lid  18  extends transverse to the vertical lid walls  46 ,  48  from the upper ends thereof for resting on the ridge portion  37  of the base member  12  with the lid cover wall  42  extending into the opening by approximately the distance of the lid walls  46 . As further illustrated the ridge portion  40  is preferably in a separate parallel plane than the lid cover wall  42 . The contacting ridge portions  37  and  40  prevent the lid cover wall  42  from extending any further into the volume of the compartment  14 . As such, the outward facing surfaces of the lid walls  46  fit within the dimensions of the inward facing surfaces of the upper sections  60  of the side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28  and the upper section of the front side wall portion  34 . Thus, the lid  18  is adapted to nest into position within the opening of the compartment  14 . 
     Also provided are lugs  50  formed within the lid walls  46  that extend outward from the lid walls  46 . These lugs  50  are adapted to fit within corresponding recesses  52  formed within the upper sections  60  of the side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28  and the upper section of the front side wall portion  34 . The recesses  52  are channels that generally correspond to the geometry of the lugs  50  such that when the lid  18  is inserted into the opening  20  of the compartment, respective lugs  50  snap into the respective recesses  52  to re-close the package. In preferred embodiments, this re-closing mechanism provides an audible snap indicating that the package is closed. This alerts the consumer that the package is re-closed after the package has been unsealed; however, this closure mechanism does not hermetically re-seal the food product within the compartment. The lugs  50  and recesses  52  also provide some resistance to the unintended opening of the food package after it has been unsealed. For example, in preferred embodiments, the snap fit of the lugs  50  and recesses  52  are designed such that the food package  10  may be turned upside down and the lid  18  will not pop off due to the weight of the food product on the lid  18 . As such, the consumer needs to apply a small amount of force to re-open the closed food package. 
     Referring briefly to  FIG. 13 , a cross sectional view of the re-closing mechanism according to one embodiment is illustrated. As illustrated, the lug  50  is adapted to snap into the recess  52  when the ridge portions  37  and  40  are flush. Since the outer dimension of the lug  50  extends slightly beyond the inner dimension of the upper section  60  of the side wall portion, both the upper section  60  and the lug  50 /lid wall  46  give slightly with downward pressure on the lid  18  to snap the lug  50  into the recess  52 . Notice that the horizontal ledge  100  of the upper section  60  and channel  94  are visible in  FIG. 13  illustrating that the upper section  60  extends downward then inward the length of the horizontal ledge  100 , then continues to extend downward until it further transitions to the appropriate ramp section (or alternatively extends vertically to the bottom wall for the front side wall portion  34 ). 
     Referring back to  FIGS. 9-12 , the lid  18  also includes a first sealing surface  54  on the bottom side of the ridge portion  40 . Note that the first sealing surface  54  is illustrated through the generally transparent ridge portion  40  of the lid  18  in  FIG. 10 . This first sealing surface  54  extends about the periphery of the ridge portion  40  and is adapted to mate with a corresponding second sealing surface  56  formed on the top surface of the ridge portion  37  of the base member  12 . The second sealing surface  56  of the base member  12  also extends about a periphery of the ridge portion  37  of the base member  12 . In order to seal the lid  18  to base member  12 , a heat sealant is applied to the first and second sealing surfaces  54  and  56 , and once the lid is positioned within the opening  20  of the compartment  14 , the sealant is heat activated; thus, forming a hermetic seal between the lid  18  and the base member  12  at the first and second sealing surfaces  54  and  56 . 
     In order to unseal the package  10 , tab portions  58  formed at a corner of the ridge portion  40  of the lid  18  and at a corner of the ridge portion  37  of the base member  12  are pulled apart. Corresponding bumps  59  are provided in the tab portion  58  of both the lid  18  and the base member  12 . These bumps  59  are configured to maintain a separation distance between the tab portions  58  of the lid  18  and the base member  12  so that it is easier for the consumer to pull the tab portions  58  apart. It is noted that the alignment of the bumps  59  (also referred to as protrusions or indentations) of the lid  18  and the base member  12  is illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The tab portions  58  are positioned to overlap each other once the lid is sealed into the base member, with the bumps  59  aligned over the top of each other. At the tab corner, the first and second sealing surfaces  54  and  56  preferably extend to the edge of the corner; however, the heat sealant is not activated at the outer edge of the tab corner near the bumps  59 , i.e., forming the tab portions  58 . To unseal the package  10 , the consumer simply pulls the tab portions  58  apart with sufficient force to separate the lid  18  and the base member  12 . It is noted that the amount of force to unseal the package should be greater than the force to unseat the lugs  50  from within the recesses  50 . Once unsealed, as described above, the lid  18  may be reclosed back into the opening of the base member  12 , the lugs  50  and corresponding recesses  52  indicating that the package has been closed (although not hermetically resealed). 
     In another feature, the lid cover wall  42  includes flat support channels  44  that extending downward a slight distance, e.g., less than the thickness of the lid  18 . These support channels  44  serve to strengthen the lid  18  and prevent deformation of the lid during the unsealing. Since the lid  18  is designed to be reclosable by the consumer once unsealed, the lid should be able to retain its shape once subjected to the normal opening force when the consumer unseals the package. The support channels  44  help to reduce the likelihood that the lid  18  and lugs  50  will be deformed during opening such that it may be adequately reclosed by the consumer in use. In preferred embodiments, the support channels are arranged such that the length of the support channel  44  extends along the lid cover wall  42  in a direction to resist the curvature of the lid during opening, e.g., the support channels  44  extend along the longer dimension of the rectangular shape of the lid  18 . 
     For example, in the illustration of  FIG. 10  and the simplified illustrations of  FIGS. 14A and 14B , a user will likely open the package by pulling the tab portions  58  apart and lifting the lid  18  relative to the base member  12 , e.g., in the direction of arrow  102 . As the lid unseals in a direction moving from the right side of the lid to the left side of the lid  18 , without any such channels  44 , the lid  18  itself may tend to bow in a curved manner (such as illustrated in  FIG. 14A ) and remain bowed after the unsealing is complete, thus, making it difficult to re-close properly. However, support channels  44  should help to provide structural stability in the lid to reduce this deforming effect, such as illustrated in  FIG. 14B . Thus, in preferred embodiments, the channels  44  add to the structural stability of the lid and assist in maintaining the shape of the lid after unsealing. This increases the likelihood that the re-closing mechanism (e.g., lugs  50  and recesses  52 ) will work properly and for many openings and re-closings. 
     The support channels  44  are also arranged with the product label  32  in mind. For example, preferably the support channels  44  are positioned under the opaque portions of the label  32  and are not viewable through the window(s)  30  of the label  32  in position over the lid cover wall  42 , such as illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
     Referring next to  FIG. 15 , a simple side elevational view is shown illustrating the center of gravity  104  of the food package in the display orientation of  FIG. 1B  including a food product  16  having a rear side wall portion  28  as described herein in comparison to the center of gravity  106  if the ramp section  68  of the rear side wall portion  28  did not extend at an oblique angle towards the bottom wall  22 . For example, if the rear side wall portion were similar to the front side wall portion  34 , more of the product  16  would sit closer to the top of the package and slightly closer to the right (in  FIG. 15 ); thus, the center of gravity  106  is higher and toward the bottom wall  22  of the package and the package is less stable, i.e., more susceptible to falling over. 
     The taper of the ramp section  68  of the rear side wall portion  28  generally cooperates with the normal front side wall portion  34  to push the meat slices forwardly toward alignment with the center of the bottom wall  22 . As mentioned, this positioning of the compartment  14  as well as the tapered configuration of the compartment rear side wall shifts the weight of the meat forwardly in the compartment so that the center-of-gravity of the package is lower when the package is pivoted to stand on the ridge portion and the support surface  108  of its front side wall portion  34  for display. 
     Another effect that the tapered configuration of the side wall portions  24 ,  26 ,  28  provides is to push or bias the meat slices upwardly (in the horizontal orientation) in the compartment as the volume of the compartment progressively enlarges toward the upper end thereof, as has been mentioned. Again, when pivoted for display, this lifting action on the meat slices will cause the weight of the meat to be shifted forwardly (to the left in  FIG. 15 ) in the vertically oriented package. Since in its generally vertical orientation, the package preferably is slightly tilted rearward to rest on the support surface  108 , e.g., the corner junction of the front side wall portion  34  and the bottom wall  22 , this forward weighting of the package further assists in stabilizing it for display. Thus, the forward position of the compartment and the taper of the compartment side wall portions cause the center-of-gravity  104  (in comparison to the center-of-gravity  106 ) of the vertically oriented package to be lowered and shifted toward the front of the package, so that the package is more resistant to tipping and falling over when pivoted to its display position. As such, the package  10  may be displayed in the display orientation on a retailer&#39;s shelf without the need for special merchandisers to hold the packages  10  in an upright position. It is further understood that other embodiments of the package may be configured to be held within merchandisers. 
     Referring next to  FIG. 16 , it is illustrated that the rear foot portions  36  and the front side wall portion  34  of each food package  10  are adapted to nest within the volume formed about the ridge portion  40  of the lid  18  of a food package  10  immediately underneath the food package in a stack  110  of packages  10 . Thus, the base of the foot portion  36  rests on the corner portion of the lid cover wall  42  while the foot wall sections  74 ,  76  and  78  nest against the lid walls  46  and  48 . Furthermore, the front side wall portion  34  nests against the front lid wall  46 . As such, the tripod support of the bottom of the compartment (i.e., the two rear corner foot portions  36  and the bottom wall  22 ) nest within an adjacent lid  18  of the stack  110 . This advantageously limits lateral movement, e.g., front-to-back movement and side-to-side movement, of the individual food packages  10  within the stack  110  and also provides for adequate support for the food packages of the stack  110  so that the stack does not tip over. 
     In manufacturing a food package as described herein, the lid  18  and the base member  12  are preferably thermoformed plastic. As is well known, one of ordinary skill in the art could use known thermoforming techniques to manufacture the lid and base member including all of the features as described herein. Additionally, in preferred embodiments, the lid and the base member are manufactured at the same time, then filled with the food product. The food package is then gas flushed and heat sealed as is known. One or more labels may then be affixed to the food package, such as illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
     In preferred embodiments, the volume of the compartment  14  of the preferred package  10  is configured for approximately 9 ounces of client food product. Additionally, in the preferred form, the dimensions of the preferred base member  12  are as follows: the outer periphery is 199.5 mm by 134.5 mm; the opening  20  of the compartment  14  is 180.5 by 116.5 mm; the thickness of the channels  94  is 1 mm; the distance between the center of adjacent channels  94  is 11 mm; the distance covered by the channels  94  in each of the front side wall portion  34  and the rear side wall portion  28  is 132 mm; the width of the sealing surface  56  is 5 mm extending around the periphery of the ridge portion  37 ; the bottom wall  22  is 76.06 by 39.6 mm; the decline angle of ramp section  68  θ 2  is 69.0 degrees; the decline angle of ramp sections  62 ,  64  θ 1  is 62.5 degrees; the decline angle of the lower portion of foot walls  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88 ,  90 ,  92  is 30 degrees as they transition to the base  38 ; the height of the base member  12  is 44.45 mm; and the height from the bottom wall  22  to the top of the ledge  100  is 37.65 mm. 
     Additionally, in the preferred form, the dimensions of the preferred lid  18  are as follows: the outer periphery is 199.5 mm by 134.5 mm; the inner periphery defined by lid walls  46  (i.e., the outer periphery of the lid cover wall  42 ) is 177.7 by 115.5 mm; the height of the lid  18  (the distance from the top of the ridge portion  40  to the bottom of the lid cover wall  42 ) is 6.5 mm; the distance from the top of the ridge portion  40  to the center of a respective lug is 3.75 mm; the lugs  50  along the width of the lid  18  are 6 mm long; the lugs  50  along the length of the lid  18  are 24 mm long; the width of the sealing surface  54  is 5 mm extending around the periphery of the ridge portion  40 ; and the channels  44  are 10 mm wide and 1.5 mm thick; the lugs  50  are 1.3 mm deep. 
     It is noted that the above represents the dimensions of the package in its preferred form, although the exact angles selected and dimensions of the package  10  will vary depending on the implementation and the food product to be contained therein. 
     In an alternate embodiment of the food package  10 , the base member  12  and the lid  18  are first formed as previously described above, such that the lid  18  covers the opening  20  of the compartment  14  of the base member  12  and is hermetically sealed to the base member  12 . However, the lugs  150  and recesses  152  are not yet formed. Instead, aligned lugs  150  and recesses  152  are substantially simultaneously formed in the lid  18  and the base member  12  after the lid  18  has been positioned on the base member  12 . 
     Forming the aligned lugs  150  and recesses  152  substantially simultaneously can result in increased separation forces as compared to separately-formed lugs and recesses, which can advantageously result in a lid  18  and base member  12  that require a greater separation force to reopen, thereby providing a more secure reclosable package. For example, separation force required to remove the lid  18  from the base member  12 , may be greater than twice the weight of the food product contained in the compartment. More specifically, the separation force required to remove the lid  18  from the base member  12  can be increased by substantially simultaneously forming the lugs  150  and recesses  152  after positioning the lid  18  on the base member  12  resulting in lugs  150  and recesses  152  which can be deeper than conventional lugs and recesses and can be more closely sized to each other. 
     Conventionally formed lugs and recesses are limited as to their depth due to the methods used to form the lid and base member. The conventionally formed lugs and recesses are formed separately in the lid and the base member as its respective package components are being formed. The lid and base members are formed by drawing a sheet of package material into a mold cavity and conforming the shape of the sheet of package material to the interior of the mold cavity. The mold cavity includes a plurality of depressions for forming the lugs or recesses as the lid or base member is being formed. However, the depressions extend generally perpendicular to the direction of removal of the formed lid or base member from the mold cavity, and thus cause interference with the lid or base member as it is being removed from the mold cavity. As a result, the depths of the lugs and recesses are limited to an amount that reduces the interference during removal to acceptable levels. The shallower the depth of the lugs or recesses, the less interference between the lugs or recesses and their forming depressions in the mold cavity during removal of the lid or base member from the respective mold cavity. 
     Each of the aligned lugs  150  and recesses  152  have a separation force, which is the force required to remove the lug  150  from the aligned recess  152  when the lid  18  is separated from the base member  12 . The plurality of aligned lugs  150  and  152  have a combined separation force, which is the total force required to separate all of the lugs  150  from their aligned recesses  152  when the lid  18  is removed from the base member  12 . The combined separation force is dependent in part upon the number of aligned lugs and recesses  150  and  152 , the position of the aligned lugs and recesses  150  and  152 , the depths and lengths of the aligned lugs and recesses  150  and  152  and the thickness and type of the package material, and the forming tools and conditions for forming the aligned lugs and recesses  150  and  152 . 
     The package  10  may contain lugs  150  and recesses  152  on at least two of the four sides of the package  10 . Preferably, but not necessarily, the lugs  150  and recesses  152  may be formed on only a pair of opposing sides, as shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18 . Furthermore, the tighter fit between the lugs  150  and recesses  152  results in fewer total lugs  150  and recesses  152  being needed. For example, at least one lug/recess combination per longitudinal side, and preferably at least two, may suffice. The shapes of the lugs  150  and recesses  152  may compliment each other and may further resemble the shape of the forming tool used, which forms the lugs  150  and recesses  152  together at the same time, as will be discussed in further detail below. 
     The lugs  150  and recesses  152  may be placed anywhere along the longitudinal side of the package, but preferably are placed at evenly spaced distances if more than one lug  150  and recess  152  is formed on each side. A lug  150  and recess  152  combination may also be positioned at least partially in the corner radius of the package  10 . The lug  150  may extend partially into the corner radius by up to about 10 mm into the curved portion at the curved corner lid wall  48 . By placing the lugs  150  and recesses  152  at least partially in the corners of the package  10 , a greater separation force can be obtained, such as due to increased rigidity in the corners due to the presence of the lugs  150  and recesses  152 . 
     As mentioned above, the depth of the aligned lugs  150  and recesses  152  when formed substantially simultaneously can be deeper than in conventional forming described in detail above. For instance, the lugs  150  may have a depth ranging between about 1.0 mm and about 3.0 mm and the recesses  152  may have a depth ranging between about 1.2 mm and about 3.2 mm when the average package material thickness is between about 0.4 mm and about 1.0 mm. Any package material may be used that is suitable for forming the package  10 , and preferably polyester, polypropylene, high-impact polystyrene and Barex® may be used, and in particular, polyester may be used. Typically, the deeper the lugs  150  and recesses  152 , the greater the separation force to separate those particular lugs, which can result in a package  10  which is more resistant to inadvertently being opened and provides a positive snapping when being reclosed to indicate a secure engagement between the lid  18  and the base member  12 . 
     The package material thickness in those areas may be less than the rest of the package  10  following formation of the lugs and recesses  150  and  152 . For example, the thickness of the package  10  inside the areas where the lugs  150  have been formed may vary from about 0.05 mm to about 0.18 mm and the thickness of the package  10  inside the area where the recesses  152  have been formed may be from about 0.13 mm to about 0.40 mm. Additionally, as the thickness of the package material within the lugs  150  and recesses  152  goes down, the force to reopen the package  10  will typically go up because the thinner the package material is the deeper the lugs  150  and recesses  152 , which can increase the combined separation force. 
     Another variation of the package feature may also include the length of the lugs  150  and recesses  152 . The length of both may vary from about 10 mm to about 40 mm, and may preferably be about 20 mm long. 
     Turning now to details of the formation of the aligned lugs and recesses  150  and  152 , as can be seen in  FIG. 17 , the aligned lugs  150  and corresponding recesses  152  are formed substantially simultaneously using an anvil tool  122  and a rail or receiving member  124  having a plurality of depressions in the form of a continuous channel  132 . The anvil  122  urges the portions of the lid  18  and base member  12  where the aligned lug  150  and recess  152  are to be formed into the channel  132  of the adjacent rail  124  to substantially simultaneously form the aligned lug  150  and recess  152 . A preferred result of substantially simultaneously forming the aligned lugs  150  and recesses  152  is that they have a tighter, more complimentary fit between them. The closer fit between the lugs  150  and corresponding recesses  152  can result in a greater force to reopen the package  10  than if the lugs  150  and recesses  152  were formed individually from one another, thus providing better closure and reclosure of the package  10 . The lugs  150  and recesses  152  may be positioned at least partially within the radius of the corners, as illustrated in  FIG. 18 . 
     An anvil support  120  may have one or more anvils  122  disposed thereon to form the aligned lugs  150  and corresponding recesses  152  in the already formed package  10 , and preferably at least two anvils  122 . One embodiment of the anvil support  120  is shown in  FIG. 23 , where the anvil support  120  is shown to contain two anvils  122  which would form two aligned lugs and recesses  150  and  152  per side. A separate anvil support  120  can be used to create the aligned lugs  150  and recesses  152  on each side of the package. 
     The anvils  122  along the anvil support  120  may be of various shapes and sizes selected to provide for adequate reclose functions with the shapes of the lugs  150  and recesses  152  generally corresponding to the shapes of the anvil  122 . For example, possible anvil shapes may consist of substantially rounded protrusions, as illustrated in  FIG. 20B , substantially square protrusions, or substantially flattened V-shape protrusions, as illustrated in  FIG. 20A . In one example, the anvil  122  may extend outwardly from the anvil support  120  to a maximum extent of between about 0.5 mm and about 10 mm. In addition, the shapes of the anvils  122  may be asymmetric variations of the cross-sectional shapes mentioned above. For example, an asymmetric anvil may have a cross-section in a thickness direction that may be substantially perpendicular to a length of the anvil and having a pair of sloped surfaces  134  and  136  that are arranged at different angles relative to a horizontal plane  138  through their point of intersection, where the anvil has a length and a thickness with the length greater than the thickness, as illustrated in  FIGS. 19A and 19B . The upper sloped surface  134  is at a lesser angle α compared to the angle β of the lower sloped surface  136  such that the lower sloped surface  136  serves as a ramp to deflect the portion of the base member  12  adjacent the recess  152  as the lid  18  is being pressed into the opening  20  of the base member  12  to reclose the package  10 . An audible sound is preferably made when the lugs  150  are snapped into the recesses  152 . The upper sloped surface  134  has an angle α selected to require greater force to remove the lugs  150  from the recesses  152  as compared to the insertion force in order to provide a reclosable package  10  that is more secure against unintentional removal of the lid  18  from the base member  12 . 
     The rail  124  is located against the package  10  exterior in order to provide a stable support during the formation of the lug/recess combination. The rail  124  contains a channel  132  that is shaped to receive the anvil  122  and thus aid in the formation of the lugs  150  and recesses  152 . Various channel  132  shapes may be employed. As shown in  FIG. 19A , one rail embodiment contains a channel  132  that is shaped similarly as the anvil  122  so that as the anvil  122  and package materials are pushed into the channel  132 , they fit substantially flush within the channel  132 . An alternate channel shape, depicted in  FIG. 19B , does not exactly compliment the shape of the anvil  122 , and may receive a number of different sized and shaped anvils  122  to permit varying depths of the lug  150  and recess  152  in a single package  10 . 
     The anvil support  120  is placed into a cavity of the lid which is defined by the flat lid cover wall  42  of the lid  18  and the upstanding lid portions or walls,  46  and  48 . The anvil support  120  is aligned with the channels  132  in the rails  124 , and the anvils  122  of the anvil support  120  face towards the inner lid wall  46  and/or part of the curved corner lid wall  48  towards the rail  124 , as shown in  FIGS. 19A and 19B . The rails  124  are positioned along the outer side of the package  10  and contact the base member wall  126  from an exterior side. The rails  124  contain a channel into which the anvils  122  deform the portions of the lid  18  and base member  12 . In forming the aligned lugs and recesses  150  and  152 , the anvils  122  of the anvil support  120  are advanced towards the channel  132  in the rail  124  and comes into contact with the lid walls,  46  and/or  48 , and the base member wall  126 . The anvil  122  urges the package material of the lid  18  and base member  12  into channels  132  of the rails  124  and, in conjunction with the shape of the channels  132 , forms the aligned lugs and recesses  150  and  152 . 
     The anvil support  120 , and thus the associated anvils  122  thereon, may be maintained at a higher temperature than the rail  124  during formation of the lugs  150  and recesses  152 . For example, the anvil support  120  may be heated, and the rail  124  may be cooled. The anvil support  120  is maintained at a temperature which is selected to avoid sealing the package material of the lid  18  to the base member  12 . For instance, when the package material is polyester having a glass transition temperature of about 173° F., the anvil support  120  may be maintained at a temperature of between about 120° F. to about 250° F., and preferably about 140° F. to about 185° F., and typical rail  124  cooling temperatures may be from about 40° F. to about 80° F. The dwell time of the anvil  122  at its maximum extent into the channel of the rail may be between approximately less than 1 second to about 3 seconds and at an applied pressure between about 29 psi and about 73 psi. 
     Turning to the apparatus and methods used for forming the lugs  150  and recesses  152 , and as set forth in the flow diagram of  FIG. 24 , the packages  10  are inserted into a rail apparatus or mechanism  130 , shown in  FIG. 22 , in an upright position, by advancing the packages into troughs and aligning the package sidewalls with the rail sidewalls. The rail mechanism  130  may consist of continuous channels  132  along the length of the rail  124  for receiving the anvils  122  of the anvil supports  120 . The packages  10  advance to a position beneath the anvil apparatus or mechanism  128 . The anvil mechanism  128 , of which the underside is shown in  FIG. 21 , contains a pair of anvil supports  120  for each package  10  that are actuated for substantially simultaneously forming all of the lugs  150  and recesses  152  in each of the packages  10 . The anvil mechanism  128  contains an actuating mechanism (not shown) which shifts the anvil supports  120  into the cavity of the lid  18  of the package  10  and aligns the anvils  122  thereon with the channels  132  in the adjacent rails  124 . Next, the anvil supports  120  advance toward the rails  124  and the attached anvils  122  force adjacent portions of the package sidewalls into the channels  132  of the rails  124  to substantially simultaneously form the lugs  150  in the lid  18  and the recesses  152  for receiving the lugs  150  in the base member  12 . Once the aligned lugs and recesses  150  and  152  are formed, the anvil supports  120  retract away from the rails  124  and then are shifted out of the cavity of the lid  18 . Finally, the packages  10  having aligned lugs and recesses  150  and  152  are advanced from beneath the anvil mechanism  128  and a next set of packages  10  is cycled through. 
     As set forth in the below examples, the substantially simultaneous formation of aligned lugs and recesses  150  and  152  can result in packages  10  having an average combined separation force (i.e., average reopen force) of the lid  18  from the base member  12  that is consistently greater than the combined separation force of conventional packages having separately-formed lugs and recesses. For example, an average reopen force for the substantially simultaneously formed lugs  150  and aligned recesses  152  may vary from about 2 to about 10 pounds. 
     EXAMPLE 1 
     Reclosable food packages were made using the former technique of thermoforming the packages and forming its lugs and recesses separately in the lid and base member. These packages had a total of ten lugs per package: three lug/recess combinations on each longitudinal side and two on each transverse (shorter) side. The packages were then initially opened and subsequently reclosed. Then the peak force needed to reopen the packages was measured in each of the four corners of the package. An average reopen force of all four corners of the former lug/recess packages was about 1.3 lbs of force. 
     EXAMPLE 2 
     Reclosable packages were made using the new technology of forming lugs and recesses after the packages had been sealed (i.e. the lids were sealed to the base members). These reclosable packages were made with twelve lugs and recesses; six on each longitudinal side, none on the transverse sides. The lug/recess combinations were formed with the anvil at about 175° F., held at about 73 psi of pressure for approximately 2.5 seconds. The packages were similarly opened and then reclosed so that the force to reopen the packages could be measured, as in Example 1. The average reopen force was between about 2.2 lbs. and 2.8 lbs. 
     EXAMPLE 3 
     Reclosable packages were made similar to Example 2 except that the anvil temperature was increased to about 212° F. The average reopen force was about 2.4 lbs. 
     While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims, and thus the improved lug design may be utilized with other container shapes than those described herein.