Reclosable package for a product

• US 20080118609A1
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C-Pak LLC
• Original Assignee: Harpak, Inc.
• Inventors: Harlfinger, Charles Everett
• Granted Patent: US 8,105,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/106
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0018 of the 43-type
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/0093 Membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00101 square-like or rectangular-like
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00296 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00462 peripheral U-shaped channel of the lid
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/0049 on the inside, or a part turned to the inside of the mouth of the container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00546 NO contact
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/0062 Groove or hollow bead
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00694 Segments
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00731 Groove or hollow bead
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00805 Segments
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00944 Located only on the container, e.g. recesses
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/0206 inside a peripheral U-shaped channel in the mouth of the container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/20 Caps, lids, or covers co-operating with an inner closure arranged to be opened by piercing, cutting, or tearing B65D51/185 takes precedence; co-operating with an auxiliary container for additional articles or materials B65D51/28

Abstract

A package for packaging food and non-food products. The package may include a tray with a cavity to receive the product, and a reclosable lid to help protect the product within the tray. The lid may lock into an interior portion of the tray below its upper surface. The cavity may be sealed with a primary seal that helps to maintain the integrity of the product and/or to help preserve a food product within the cavity. A sealing flange used to form the primary seal is located below the upper surface of the tray and within the interior region of the tray. A removable sealing layer may be sealed to the sealing flange to form a hermetically sealed cavity. A secondary seal may be provided to help maintain freshness of a food product after the primary seal has been broken, and/or to stabilize or maintain the integrity of the package. One or more interlock features may be provided for releasably securing the lid to the tray. The interlocks may be located external to the cavity and within the interior region of the tray below its upper surface. The interlocks may include a snap-fit configuration that generates an audible sound that signals when the lid is secured to and/or removed from the tray.

Claims

1. A package for a product, the package comprising:

a tray including an upper peripherally extending surface, a cavity to receive the product therein, and a sealing flange that is to be used to form a first seal about the cavity, the sealing flange surrounding the cavity and being located below the upper surface within an interior region of the tray; and

a reclosable lid constructed and arranged to lock to an interior portion of the tray below the upper surface to cover the sealing flange and the cavity.

2. The package according to claim 1, further comprising a removable sealing layer constructed and arranged to overlie the cavity and to be sealed to the sealing flange to form a hermetically sealed cavity.

3. The package according to claim 2, wherein the sealing layer includes a flexible film.

4. The package according to claim 2, wherein the product is a food product and the sealing layer is constructed and arranged to form a hermetically sealed cavity for the food product.

5. The package according to claim 1, wherein the cover is sealable directly to the sealing flange to seal the cavity.

6. The package according to claim 1, further comprising at least one interlock constructed and arranged to releasably secure the lid to the tray, the interlock being located external to the cavity at the interior portion of the tray.

7. The package according to claim 6, wherein the at least one interlock includes a snap-fit interlock.

8. The package according to claim 6, wherein the tray includes at least one tray interlock and the lid includes at least one lid interlock that is constructed and arranged to mate with the tray interlock to releasably secure the lid to the tray.

9. The package according to claim 8, wherein the at least one interlock includes a plurality of interlocks intermittently spaced about the cavity.

10. The package according to claim 9, wherein the tray includes a plurality of tray interlocks and the lid includes a plurality of lid interlocks that mate with the tray interlocks to releasably secure the lid to the tray.

11. The package according to claim 6, wherein the interlock is constructed and arranged to generate an audible sound when the lid is secured to and removed from the tray.

12. The package according to claim 1, wherein the tray and the lid are constructed and arranged to form a second seal about the sealing flange and within the interior region when the lid is placed on the tray.

13. The package according to claim 12, wherein the second seal is constructed and arranged to reduce air flow to the cavity.

14. The package according to claim 12, wherein one of the tray and the lid includes a projection and the other of the tray and the lid includes a channel, the projection and the channel constructed and arranged to mate with each other to form the second seal.

15. The package according to claim 12, wherein the second seal is located below the upper surface of the tray.

16. The package according to claim 1, wherein the tray is configured as a rigid or semi-rigid structure.

17. The package according to claim 16, wherein the lid is configured as a rigid or semi-rigid structure.

18. A food package, comprising:

a tray including a cavity and a sealing flange that extends about the perimeter of the cavity within an interior region of the tray, the cavity adapted to receive a food product therein, the sealing flange to form a primary seal that helps to maintain longer term preservation of the food product within the cavity; and

a reclosable lid to cover the cavity and the sealing flange, the lid being constructed and arranged to engage with an interior portion of the tray to form a secondary seal about the cavity that helps to maintain shorter term preservation of the food product after the primary seal has been broken.

19. The food package according to claim 18, wherein the primary seal forms a hermetically sealed cavity and the secondary seal reduces air flow to the cavity.

20. The food package according to claim 18, wherein the secondary seal surrounds the sealing flange.

21. The food package according to claim 20, wherein the secondary seal includes an interference fit between the tray and the lid.

22. The food package according to claim 21, wherein the tray includes a channel that surrounds the sealing flange and the lid includes a projection that is configured to mate with the channel to form the secondary seal.

23. The food package according to claim 18, wherein the tray includes an upper surface and a lower surface with the cavity disposed therebetween, the sealing flange located between the upper surface and the lower surface.

24. The food package according to claim 18, further comprising at least one interlock constructed and arranged to releasably secure the lid to the tray, the interlock being located within the interior region of the tray adjacent the secondary seal.

25. The food package according to claim 24, wherein the at least one interlock includes a snap-fit interlock.

26. The food package according to claim 24, wherein the tray includes at least one tray interlock and the lid includes at least one lid interlock that is constructed and arranged to mate with the tray interlock to releasably secure the lid to the tray.

27. The food package according to claim 26, wherein the at least one interlock includes a plurality of interlocks intermittently spaced about the cavity.

28. The food package according to claim 27, wherein the tray includes a plurality of tray interlocks and the lid includes a plurality of lid interlocks that mate with the tray interlocks to releasably secure the lid to the tray.

29. The food package according to claim 24, wherein the interlock is constructed and arranged to generate an audible sound when the lid is secured to and removed from the tray.

30. The food package according to claim 18, further comprising a removable sealing layer constructed and arranged to overlie the food cavity and to be sealed to the sealing flange to form a hermetically sealed cavity.

31. The food package according to claim 30, wherein the tray and the lid are configured as rigid or semi-rigid structures, and wherein the sealing layer includes a flexible film.

32. A method of packaging a product, the method comprising acts of:

(a) providing a tray that includes a cavity adapted to receive the product therein;

(b) introducing the product into the cavity;

(c) sealing the cavity along a first seal located about the cavity and within an interior region of the tray; and

(d) covering the cavity and the first seal with a reclosable lid that engages an interior portion of the tray external to the cavity to removably secure the lid to the tray.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein act (c) includes hermetically sealing the cavity.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein act (c) includes covering the cavity with a removable sealing layer and hermetically sealing the sealing layer to a sealing flange located within the interior region of the tray to form the first seal.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the sealing flange is located between upper and lower surfaces of the tray.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the sealing layer is positioned within the interior region of the tray between the lid and the cavity.

37. The method according to claim 32, wherein act (d) includes forming a second seal about the first seal and within the interior region of the tray.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein the second seal is formed by an interference fit between the tray and the lid.

39. The method according to claim 38, wherein the second seal reduces air flow to the cavity.

40. The method according to claim 37, wherein act (d) includes locking the lid to the tray with at least one interlock located within the interior region of the tray.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein the interlock is located external to the cavity.

42. The method according to claim 32, wherein the product is a food product and act (b) includes introducing the food product into the cavity.

43. The method according to claim 42, further comprising an act (e) of modifying the atmosphere of the cavity prior to act (c) to preserve the food product.