Thermoformed Shingled Food Package Geometry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Food product packages with shingled stacks often have excess head space, fail to maintain the shingled orientation, use vacuum sealing which decreases shelf life, and require interleaving paper.
Innovation Solution
A package design with a package bottom and top that mirrors the geometry of the shingled stack, featuring a non-planar seal flange and thermoformed roll stock film, reducing head space and eliminating the need for vacuum sealing and interleaving paper, while maintaining the shingled orientation and enhancing shelf life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a traditional flat package design is used, then the package is simple to manufacture, but it creates excess head space and fails to maintain shingled orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The package bottom is segmented into multiple functional walls: a bottom wall, at least one angled wall, and at least one vertical wall. This segmentation allows each wall to perform a specific function in supporting and orienting the shingled stack, resolving the contradiction by creating a complex but functional geometry that maintains slice orientation while remaining manufacturable through thermoforming processes.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the package have specialized geometries tailored to specific needs: the bottom wall provides a flat support surface, the angled wall matches the shingled stack's inclination angle to maintain orientation, and the vertical wall provides lateral containment. This local quality approach allows the package to maintain complex geometry only where necessary while simplifying other areas.
2Reliability
If vacuum sealing is used, then the package can be sealed effectively, but it decreases shelf life due to condensate formation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the vacuum sealing process entirely from the packaging system. By using a custom-shaped package bottom that maintains shingled orientation and atmospheric sealing, the harmful vacuum sealing step is removed, preventing condensate formation while still achieving effective sealing through the atmospheric seal between package top and flange.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potential harm of atmospheric sealing (which might allow more oxygen) into a benefit by eliminating the vacuum process that causes condensate. The custom geometry reduces head space and maintains orientation, compensating for atmospheric sealing and actually improving shelf life by preventing the harmful condensate effect.
3Ease of operation
If interleaving paper is used, then the slices can be separated, but it increases device complexity and requires additional materials
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates interleaving paper from the packaging system. By maintaining the shingled stack orientation throughout the packaging process and using a custom-shaped package bottom, slices remain naturally separated in their shingled configuration without requiring additional interleaf materials, thus reducing complexity while preserving ease of operation.
4Volume of stationary object
If excess head space is present, then the package can accommodate the shingled stack, but it increases oxygen levels and decreases shelf life
Solution Approach 1:
The package interior volume is optimized with local quality variations: the bottom wall provides flat support, the angled wall matches the shingled stack geometry to eliminate unnecessary space, and the vertical wall provides lateral containment. This creates a form-fitting package that minimizes head space and oxygen volume while still accommodating the shingled stack, thereby extending shelf life.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The package design reduces head space, prevents condensate formation, lowers oxygen levels, and extends the shelf life of food products by maintaining their shingled orientation and eliminating the need for interleaving paper.
Implementation Method 1
a package bottom including a plurality of walls formed from thermoformed roll stock film
Implementation Method 2
The package design reduces head space, prevents condensate formation, lowers oxygen levels, and extends the shelf life of food products
Implementation Method 3
a non-planar seal flange, the walls being oriented to be substantially the same geometry as the shingled stack of food product slices, and a package top sealable to the seal flange
Data Source
AI summary
A food product package for containing a shingled stack of food product slices is provided including a package bottom and a non-planar periphery, the package bottom having walls oriented to be substantially the same geometry as the shingled stack of food product slices.