Patent ID: 7331161

Claim:
A method of operating a vacuum packaging machine, comprising the acts of: placing one or more items to be vacuum packaged on each of a plurality of upwardly facing surfaces defined by an item support arrangement; providing an evacuation assembly that includes a support member to which a plurality of evacuation chambers are stationarily mounted; communicating vacuum to an internal cavity associated with the support member; selectively moving the support member toward the item support arrangement, wherein the evacuation chambers are movable in unison with the support member relative to the item support arrangement so as to simultaneously position the evacuation chambers over each of the plurality of upwardly facing surfaces; vacuum packaging the one or more items by communicating vacuum to the evacuation chambers from the support member internal cavity; and selectively moving the support member away from the item support arrangement, wherein the evacuation chambers are movable in unison with the support member relative to the item support arrangement so as to simultaneously position the evacuation chambers in spaced relationship relative to the upwardly facing surfaces of the item support arrangement.