Shaped seal bar and knife for sealing and cutting a contoured shape for a flow wrap machine

Abstract

A form-fill-seal method and apparatus for wrapping food items. A form-fill-seal apparatus includes a shaped seal member and a shaped cutting knife, for example, a curved seal member and a curved cutting knife. Wrapping film is provided to the form-fill-seal machine, e.g., as a flat shape, and formed into another shape. A food item is fed into a pocket of the formed wrapping film. A shaped seal is formed in the wrapping film along a first end of the food item using the shaped seal member and cut adjacent to the shaped seal with the shaped cutting knife.

1 . A method of wrapping a food item, comprising: 
 providing a form-fill-seal machine having a shaped seal member and a shaped cutting knife, and providing a wrapping film;    providing the wrapping film to the form-fill-seal machine;    forming the wrapping film;    feeding the food item into an aperture or pocket defined by the formed wrapping film;    forming a shaped seal in the formed wrapping film along a first end of the food item by use of the shaped seal member; and    cutting the wrapping film adjacent to the shaped seal by use of the shaped cutting knife.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , providing the form-fill-seal machine having a shaped seal member comprising providing a form-fill-seal machine having a shaped top bar and a shaped bottom bar, wherein the shaped top bar and the shaped bottom bar meet to form the shaped seal.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising heating at least one of the shaped top bar and the shaped bottom bar, thereby forming a shaped heat seal.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , providing the shaped top bar and the shaped bottom bar comprising providing a shaped top bar and a shaped bottom bar that are approximately the same shape and size.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , providing the form-fill-seal machine having a shaped cutting knife further comprising providing a shaped cutting base and a shaped blade attached to the shaped cutting base, the shaped blade cutting the wrapping material along an outer shaped edge of the shaped seal member.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , the shaped seal member having a shaped top bar and a shaped bottom bar, the shaped blade being proximate to an outer edge of the shaped top bar when cutting the wrapping material.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , the shaped blade being proximate to an outer edge of the shaped bottom bar when cutting the wrapping material.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , forming the shaped seal comprising forming a curved seal.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , forming the shaped seal comprising forming a semi-circular seal.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , providing the form-fill-seal machine further comprising providing a shaped cutting knife that is moveable relative to the shaped seal bar.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , providing the form-fill-seal machine further comprising providing a spring-loaded shaped cutting knife.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , providing the wrapping film comprising providing a heat-shrinkable wrapping film.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , providing the wrapping film comprising providing a flexible wrapping film that conforms to a shape of the food item.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , providing the wrapping film comprising providing a wrapping film from a roll of wrapping film.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , providing the wrapping film from the roll comprising unrolling a flat sheet of the wrapping film from the roll, the flat sheet being attached to the form-fill-seal machine.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , providing the food item comprising providing a food item having a substantially cylindrical cross-section.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , providing the food item comprising providing a food item having a curved end.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , providing the food item comprising providing a food item having a curved end and a flat end.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , providing the food item comprising providing a food item having a semi-circular end.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , providing the food item comprising providing a food item having a pre-defined shape.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , providing the food item comprising providing a meat or meat-substitute item.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , forming the wrapping film further comprising forming the wrapping film into a shape substantially corresponding to a cross-section of the food item.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1 , forming the wrapping film further comprising forming the wrapping film into a generally cylindrical shape.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 1 , forming the wrapping film further comprising forming a wrapping film into a shape having a diameter that is approximately the same as a diameter of the food product.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 1 , forming the wrapping film further comprising: 
 passing the wrapping film over a forming collar; and    sealing together lateral edges of the wrapping film passing over the collar.    
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , sealing together the lateral edges further comprising: 
 providing a pair of rotating members; and    feeding the lateral edges of the wrapping material through the rotating members, thereby sealing together the lateral edges.    
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , providing the pair of rotating members comprising providing a pair of circularly-shaped members.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , providing the pair of rotating members further comprising providing at least one heated rotating member, whereby heat from the heated rotating member heats or melts at least one lateral edge of the wrapping material, thereby sealing together the lateral edges of the wrapping material.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 1 , feeding the food item further comprising transporting the food item on a conveyor and into a pocket defined by the formed wrapping film.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 1 , forming the shaped seal further comprising forming a curved seal.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 1 , forming the shaped seal further comprising forming a curved heat seal.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 1 , after cutting the wrapping film, further comprising disengaging the shaped cutting knife.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , further comprising sealing an open curved end of the food item.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 1 , the providing, forming the wrapping film, feeding the food item, forming the shaped seal, and cutting the wrapping film being performed in a continuous manner.  
     
     
         35 . A method of continuously forming, filling and sealing a food package with a food item, comprising: 
 providing a wrapping film, a shaped seal bar and a shaped cutting knife;    transforming the wrapping film from a flat initial shape into a secondary shape while feeding the food item into an aperture or pocket defined by the wrapping film having the secondary shape;    forming a first seal, the first seal joining lateral edges of the transformed wrapping film having the secondary shape;    forming a second seal in the wrapping film along a first end of the food item by use of the shaped seal bar; and    cutting the wrapping film having the secondary shape adjacent to the shaped seal by use of the shaped cutting knife.    
     
     
         36 . A method of continuously forming, filling and sealing a food package, product package comprising: 
 providing a wrapping film, a shaped seal bar and a shaped cutting knife,    forming the wrapping film into a shape around a food item being fed into the shaped wrapping film;    forming a shaped seal along a first end of the food item by use of the shaped seal bar; and    cutting the wrapping film adjacent to the shaped seal by use of the shaped cutting knife.    
     
     
         37 . A form-fill-seal apparatus for wrapping a food item, comprising: 
 a wrapping material;    a collar;    a lateral sealing member;    the wrapping material passing over the collar, the collar transforming the wrapping material from a first shape into a second shape, and the lateral sealing member receiving edges of the wrapping material having the second shape to form a lateral seal along a lateral length of the wrapping material;    a shaped seal bar; and    a shaped cutting knife,    the shaped seal bar producing a shaped seal at a first end of the food item, and the wrapping film being cut adjacent to the shaped seal by use of the shaped cutting knife.    
     
     
         38 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the wrapping material comprising a heat-shrinkable wrapping film.  
     
     
         39 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the wrapping material a flexible wrapping film that conforms to a shape of the food item.  
     
     
         40 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the wrapping material being unrolled as a flat sheet and being attached to the collar, the collar transforming the flat sheet into the secondary shape.  
     
     
         41 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , transforming the wrapping film further comprising forming the wrapping film into a shape substantially corresponding to a cross-section of the food item.  
     
     
         42 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , transforming the wrapping film further comprising forming the wrapping film into a generally cylindrical shape.  
     
     
         43 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , transforming the wrapping film further comprising forming a wrapping film into a shape having a diameter that is approximately the same as a diameter of the food product.  
     
     
         44 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the food item being directed into an aperture or pocket defined by the transformed wrapping material.  
     
     
         45 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the collar including a first collar member and a second collar member.  
     
     
         46 . The apparatus of  claim 45 , wherein the first and second collar members are arranged approximately perpendicular to each other.  
     
     
         47 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the lateral sealing member comprising a pair of rotating members, the lateral edges of the wrapping material being fed through the rotating members, thereby sealing together the lateral edges.  
     
     
         48 . The apparatus of  claim 47 , the pair of rotating members comprising a pair of circularly-shaped members.  
     
     
         49 . The apparatus of  claim 47 , at least one the rotating members being heated so that heat from the heated rotating member heats or melts at least one lateral edge of the wrapping material, thereby sealing together the lateral edges of the wrapping material.  
     
     
         50 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the shaped seal member comprising a shaped top bar and a shaped bottom bar, wherein the shaped top bar and the shaped bottom bar meet to form the shaped seal.  
     
     
         51 . The apparatus of  claim 50 , at least one of the shaped top bar and the shaped bottom bar being heated.  
     
     
         52 . The apparatus of  claim 50 , the shaped top bar and the shaped bottom bar being approximately the shape and size.  
     
     
         53 . The apparatus of  claim 50 , the shaped seal member comprising a curved seal member.  
     
     
         54 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the shaped cutting knife including a shaped cutting base and a shaped blade attached to the shaped cutting base, the shaped blade cutting the wrapping material along an outer shaped edge of the shaped seal member.  
     
     
         55 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the shaped seal member having a shaped top bar and a shaped bottom bar, the shaped blade being proximate to an outer edge of the shaped top bar when cutting the wrapping material.  
     
     
         56 . The apparatus of  claim 55 , the shaped blade being proximate to an outer edge of the shaped bottom bar when cutting the wrapping material.  
     
     
         57 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the shaped cutting knife being moveable relative to the shaped seal bar.  
     
     
         58 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the shaped cutting knife being spring-loaded.  
     
     
         59 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the shaped cutting knife comprising a curved cutting knife.  
     
     
         60 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , the wrapping material, the collar, the lateral sealing member, the shaped seal bar and the shaped cutting knife being configured so that the food item is wrapped and sealed in a continuous manner.