Airway insert for vacuum sealing plastic bag

Abstract

An insertable airway member ( 700, 1200, 1300 ) provides an escape path for air during evacuation of a heat-sealable bag ( 600 ) to protect a perishable or vacuum-packable item ( 1000 ). The member ( 700 ) extends from the open edge ( 602 ) of the bag inwardly to the contents being sealed in the bag. The member is made of flexible, woven plastic mesh with open cells ( 800 ) comprising fiber strands ( 705 ) and knots ( 805 ) with holes ( 900 ). In an alternative embodiment, the airway member ( 1200, 1300 ) is rigid or semi-rigid and provided with channels ( 1205 ) or grooves ( 1305 ) to permit the escape of air from the bag during evacuation. The bag is evacuated and then heat-sealed. During heat-sealing of the bag, the sandwich comprising the airway member and the opposed sides of the bag near its open edge are forced together by heated clamps ( 22 ) of a known heat-sealing apparatus ( 400 ). The softened or melted plastic material comprising the inner layer of the bag fills voids in the airway member, optionally melting it as well, thus sealing the bag against the incursion of air.

1 . An insertable airway strip for providing an escape path for air so that when said strip is placed in the mouth or opening of a container having fusible material at said mouth, and said strip extends from an interior part of said container to outside said container, said container can be evacuated via said strip and hermetically sealed around said strip, comprising: 
 a strip of material,    said strip comprising a solid member that contains a plurality of airway paths therethrough so that when said fusible material at said mouth sandwiches said strip and is fused, said fusible material will seal said airway paths to prevent said strip from thereafter conveying any air therethrough    whereby said strip may be used to evacuate a vacuum-sealable container and thereafter be easily sealed in the mouth of said container without the need for a container with an embossed interior surface.    
   
   
       2 . The insertable airway strip of  claim 1  wherein said strip has a plurality of lands and grooves on its surface.  
   
   
       3 . The insertable strip of  claim 2  wherein said lands and grooves have a rectangular configuration.  
   
   
       4 . The insertable strip of  claim 2  wherein said lands and grooves have a zig-zag configuration.  
   
   
       5 . The insertable airway strip of  claim 1  wherein said strip comprises a fiber mesh that has a plurality of internal paths therethrough.  
   
   
       6 . The insertable airway strip of  claim 5  wherein said strip comprises a plurality of elongated fibers that contain a plurality of knots.  
   
   
       7 . The insertable airway strip of  claim 1 , further including said container which has fusible material at its mouth, said strip being narrower than the width of said mouth.  
   
   
       8 . The invention of  claim 6  wherein said container comprises a plastic material having a plurality of layers, an inner one of said layers being air-impermeable and fusible.  
   
   
       9 . A method of evacuating and sealing a container, comprising: 
 providing a container having a mouth portion with an opening with a fusible material at said opening,    providing an insertable airway strip for providing an escape path for air so that when said strip is placed in said opening of said container, and said strip extends from an interior part of said container to outside said container,    placing said strip of material in said opening of said container so that said strip extends from an interior part of said container to outside said container,    evacuating said container by inserting said mouth portion of said container in a vacuum and sealing apparatus and clamping a pair of edges of said apparatus around said mouth portion and evacuating said container via said strip,    heating said edges to seal said opening of said container and said strip so that it can no longer convey air,    whereby said vacuum-sealable container can be evacuated and thereafter be easily sealed without the need for a container with an embossed interior surface.    
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said strip has a plurality of lands and grooves on its surface.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein said lands and grooves have a rectangular configuration.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein said lands and grooves have a zig-zag configuration.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said strip comprises a fiber mesh that has a plurality of internal paths therethrough.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein said strip comprises a plurality of elongated fibers that contain a plurality of knots.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said strip is narrower than the width of said mouth.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein said container comprises a plastic material having a plurality of layers, an inner one of said layers being air-impermeable and fusible.  
   
   
       17 . A method of evacuating and sealing a container, comprising: 
 providing a container having a mouth portion with an opening with a fusible material at said opening,    providing an insertable airway strip for providing an escape path for air so that when said strip is placed in said opening of said container, and said strip extends from an interior part of said container to outside said container,    placing said strip of material in said opening of said container so that said strip extends from an interior part of said container to outside said container,    said strip being narrower than said mouth of said container,    said strip comprising a fiber mesh that has a plurality of internal paths therethrough,    evacuating said container by inserting said mouth portion of said container in a vacuum and sealing apparatus and clamping a pair of edges of said apparatus around said mouth portion and evacuating said container via said strip,    heating said edges to seal said opening of said container and said strip so that it can no longer convey air,    whereby said vacuum-sealable container can be evacuated and thereafter be easily sealed without the need for a container with an embossed interior surface.    
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein said strip comprises a plurality of elongated fibers that contain a plurality of knots.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 17  wherein said container comprises a plastic material having a plurality of layers, an inner one of said layers being air-impermeable and fusible.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein an outer one of said layers is bonded to said inner one of said layers.