Patent ID: 7246476

Claim:
A method for high-speed vacuum unitary packaging of portion-cut meats, comprising: loading at least two portion-cut meats onto a lower film on a conveyor with a prescribed spacing existing between said at least two portion-cut meats, said lower film having a gas-barrier property and an inner surface thermal fusion bonding property; covering said at least two portion-cut meats with an upper film having a gas-barrier property and an inner surface thermal fusion bonding property; fusion bonding said lower film to said upper film on a first side of said at least two portion-cut meats and on a second side of said at least two portion-cut meats, thereby forming a tubular member within which are said at least two portion-cut meats; evacuating said tubular member, thereby providing an evacuated tubular member within which are said at least two portion-cut meats; then fusion bonding said lower film to said upper film on a third side of said at least two portion-cut meats and on a fourth side of said at least two portion-cut meats, with said third and fourth sides being transverse to said first and second sides, thereby providing an evacuated package including said at least two portion-cut meats; then one of (i) using upper heater wires of a heat impulse sealer to heat said upper film from above said upper film, and then cutting said upper film and said lower film between said at least two portion-cut meats while using lower heater wires of said heat impulse sealer to heat said lower film from below said lower film, thereby fusion bonding said lower film to said upper film along at least two seal lines between said at least two portion-cut meats while cutting said upper film and said lower film between said at least two seal lines, and thereby providing individual evacuated packages each including at least one of said at least two portion-cut meats, and (ii) using lower heater wires of a heat impulse sealer to heat said lower film from below said lower film, and then cutting said upper film and said lower film between said at least two portion-cut meats while using upper heater wires of said heat impulse sealer to heat said upper film from above said upper film, thereby fusion bonding said lower film to said upper film along at least two seal lines between said at least two portion-cut meats while cutting said upper film and said lower film between said at least two seal lines, and thereby providing individual evacuated packages each including at least one of said at least two portion-cut meats.