Patent ID: 7328550

Claim:
A method for packaging articles using pre-perforated heat-shrink film, comprising: (a) creating a line of perforations in a sheet of heat-shrink film; (b) wrapping the sheet of heat-shrink film around parallel groups of articles spaced apart from one another; (c) enclosing the parallel groups of articles in the sheet of heat-shrink film with the line of perforations between the parallel groups of articles, thereby forming a continuous sleeve of film with first and second open ends with the line of perforations being spaced from and intermediate the first and second open ends; (d) conveying the enclosed parallel groups of articles in a conveying direction in an orientation such that the first and second open ends of the sleeve of film are substantially transverse to the conveying direction and the line of perforations is parallel to the conveying direction; and (e) applying heat energy to the conveying enclosed parallel groups of articles to weaken the continuous sleeve of film at the line of perforations, the sleeve then pinching off at the line of perforations and becoming shrunk against the articles.