Patent ID: 7174697

Claim:
A process for packaging products in a wrapping material comprising: conveying a product separated into groups having a length and a width down a process line; unwinding a continuous wrapping material, the wrapping material having a first edge region, a second edge region, and a middle region, and wherein, at predetermined intervals, the wrapping material includes a first transverse slit in the first edge region opposite a second transverse slit in the second edge region, and the middle region of the wrapping material defines a perforation line in between the first transverse slit and the second transverse slit, wherein the perforation lines have a lenght less than the width of each group, wherein the wrapping material defines a plurality of first flaps located in the first edge region and a plurality of second flaps located in the second edge region, the first and second flaps being formed in between adjacent slits in the respective edge regions; placing a first surface of each group adjacent to the wrapping material; folding the first flaps and the second flaps over the groups, the folded flaps extending over a second surface located opposite the first surface; severing the wrapping material in order to separate the wrapped groups into individual packages; and sealing a front end and a back end of the packages where the wrapping material has been severed.