Patent ID: 7051493

Claim:
A packaging process comprising the steps of: (A) supplying an elongate multilayer film comprising: (i) a first layer comprising cyclic olefin copolymer having a glass transition temperature of at least 125° C.; (ii) a second layer comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of cyclic olefin copolymer having a glass transition temperature of at least 125° C., polyamide, polyester, and polystyrene; wherein the first and second layers are on opposite sides of a tensile axis of symmetry of the multilayer film, with the film exhibiting from 0 to 45 degrees of transverse edge curl, a yield point of at least 1200 psi at a temperature of 85° C., and an elongation at break of from 0 to 300 percent at 85° C.; (B) placing a plurality of product units on the film at desired intervals; (C) forwarding the film having product units thereon, while: (D) forming a tubing from the film so that product is inside the tubing upon reconfiguring the film to a tubing around the product, with longitudinal edge portions of the film being adjacent one another once the film has been reconfigured; (E) forming a longitudinal seal along a segment of the adjacent edge portions of the film, to form a sealed tubing segment, with a single product unit being inside of the sealed tubing segment; (F) forming a first transverse seal across the sealed tubing segment at a first location which is downstream of the single product unit; (G) severing the film downstream of the first transverse seal, and (H) forming a second transverse seal across the sealed tubing segment at a second location which is upstream of the single product unit; and (I) severing the sealed tubing segment from the multilayer film upstream of the second transverse seal, whereby a discrete packaged product is formed with the single product unit surrounded by the multilayer film; and wherein the forwarding of the film having the product units thereon is carried out by pulling on the film tubing with a means for making the first transverse seal and thereafter with a means for making the second transverse seal, while both the means for making the first transverse seal and the means for making the second transverse seal are at a temperature high enough to seal an inside layer of the film to itself.