Reclosable container for sliced food products

Abstract

A reclosable food package for sliced food products to be maintained in a shingled arrangement and to provide convenient top access to the food product, the package including a rigid base member forming a compartment for receiving the food product and a rigid lid secured to the base. Advantageously, the base member includes a bottom wall and side wall portions that are configured to hold the food product in a shingled arrangement. The bottom wall further includes at least one channel that facilitates removal of the food product and cooperates to provide stability when the package is placed in an upright or horizontal position resting upon its bottom wall. The lid also has an inwardly extending annular bead which provides an audible sound when the lid is being placed upon the base.

1 . A reclosable food package for a sliced food product, the package comprising:
 a generally rigid base member configured to receive the sliced food product therein and having a bottom wall with a generally flat central portion disposed between two inclined portions, the inclined portions intersecting the central portion at an angle from about  10  to about  70  degrees, an opening having a peripheral flange, a pair of opposing sidewalls extending between the bottom wall and the peripheral flange and each extending along a side of the central portion and a side of each of the inclined portions of the bottom wall;   at least one channel in one of the inclined portions of the bottom wall to facilitate removal of the food product, the channel spaced from the sidewalls by a segment of the inclined portion of the bottom wall; and   a generally rigid lid configured to mate with the peripheral flange to cover the opening.   
   
   
       2 . The package according to  claim 1 , wherein the package has at least two channels in one of the inclined portions of the bottom wall. 
   
   
       3 . The package according to  claim 2 , wherein each of the at least two channels have bottom surfaces that are generally coplanar with the central portion of the bottom wall. 
   
   
       4 . The package according to  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral flange has a flexible film hermetically sealed over the opening. 
   
   
       5 . The package according to  claim 1 , wherein the lid has a peripheral rim that mates with the peripheral flange of the base member, the rim and flange being configured such that there is an audible snap as the rim and flange are brought together. 
   
   
       6 . The package according to  claim 5 , wherein the rigid lid has an inset central panel surrounded by the peripheral rim of the lid. 
   
   
       7 . The package according to  claim 6 , wherein the peripheral rim of the lid has an inwardly extending annular bead configured to engage the peripheral flange of the base member to generally secure the lid onto the base member. 
   
   
       8 . The package according to  claim 7 , wherein the annular bead increases in thickness adjacent each corner of the lid at an intersection of a corner radius with a straight section of the peripheral rim of the lid. 
   
   
       9 . The package according to  claim 1 , wherein the sliced food product comprises cheese slices stored in a shingled arrangement on the bottom wall in the inner compartment. 
   
   
       10 . A reclosable food package for a sliced cheese product, the package comprising:
 a generally rigid base member having a bottom wall, generally upstanding opposing sidewalls, and generally upstanding opposing endwalls, the bottom wall having a generally flat central portion disposed between two inclined portions that merge with the generally upstanding endwalls and the inclined portions intersect the central portion at an angle from about 10 to about 70 degrees;   an inner compartment formed by the bottom wall, sidewalls and the endwalls, the inner compartment configured to receive the sliced cheese product therein and for storing the cheese product in a shingled arrangement, and further configured to minimize calcium lactate crystal (CLC) formation on the cheese slices by minimizing the space between a hermetically sealed flexible film and an opening in the compartment;   at least one channel in each of the two inclined portions to facilitate removal of the cheese product, the channels each having a bottom surface that is in substantially the same plane as the central portion of the bottom wall to provide stability when positioned in a horizontal position upon the bottom wall and each channel spaced from the opposing sidewalls by a segment of the inclined portion of the bottom wall;   the opening in the compartment opposite the bottom wall, the opening defined by a base member peripheral flange at an upper section of the sidewalls and an upper section of the endwalls;   the flexible film hermetically sealed upon the base member peripheral flange to cover the opening; and   a generally rigid lid configured to cover the opening to contain the cheese product within the compartment, the lid having an inwardly extending annular bead positioned within a lid peripheral rim and configured to engage a base member peripheral flange to secure the lid onto the base member and configured to provide an audible snap closure upon being placed over the opening.   
   
   
       11 . The package according to  claim 10 , wherein the inclined portions intersect the central portion at an angle from about 10 to about 40 degrees. 
   
   
       12 . The package according to  claim 10 , wherein the cheese slices in the shingled arrangement are stored within the inner compartment of the base such that the cheese slices rest upon the bottom wall of the base. 
   
   
       13 . The package according to  claim 10 , wherein the space between the flexible film and the opening in the compartment is filled with gas other than air. 
   
   
       14 . The package according to  claim 13 , wherein the gas is about 40% to about 100% CO 2 . 
   
   
       15 . The package according to  claim 14 , wherein the gas is about 55% CO 2  with the balance nitrogen and the package has an oxygen transmission rate of about 3-12 cc/100 in 2 /24 h at a temperature of about 23° C. 
   
   
       16 . A method for packaging a food product, comprising:
 providing a rigid base member having a peripheral flange surrounding an opening and having a bottom wall, the bottom wall having a generally rectangular, flat central portion having a pair of opposing longitudinal edges and a pair of opposing transverse edges, the bottom wall having a pair of inclined portions each having a pair of transverse edges and a pair of longitudinal edges, each of the inclined portions of the bottom wall having its transverse edge adjacent an associated one of the transverse edges of the central portion and the opposite transverse edge of the inclined portions being positioned closer to the flange than the bottom wall, a pair of opposing sidewalls each extending between the peripheral flange and the longitudinal edges of the inclined and central portions, and at least one channel formed in each of the inclined portions to facilitate removal of food product from the bottom wall of the base member;   placing a plurality of food products into the rigid base member;   sealing the base member with the food product therein using a flexible film attached to the peripheral flange; and   attaching a rigid lid to the base member and over the flexible film to cover the opening of the base member, the lid having a peripheral rim that mates with the peripheral flange of the base member.   
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of attaching the rigid lid to the base member further includes the step of creating an audible sound when the lid is attached to the base. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the step of creating an audible sound includes outwardly flexing a portion of the rim of the lid as the lid is moved toward the base member and then elastically returning the flexed portion of the rim once the lid is seated on the base. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising selecting a CO 2  gas amount for filling an inner compartment of the package and selecting a gas transmission rate for the package, each dependent upon a type of cheese packaged as the food product and size of the package. 
   
   
       20 . A reclosable food package comprising:
 a rigid base member having a peripheral flange surrounding an opening and having a bottom wall, the bottom wall having a generally rectangular, flat central portion having a pair of opposing longitudinal edges and a pair of opposing transverse edges, the bottom wall having a pair of inclined portions each having a pair of transverse edges and a pair of longitudinal edges, each of the inclined portions of the bottom wall having a transverse edge adjacent an associated one of the transverse edges of the central portion and the opposite transverse edge of the inclined portions being positioned closer to the flange than the bottom wall, a pair of opposing sidewalls each extending between the peripheral flange and the longitudinal edges of the inclined and central portions, and at least one channel formed in each of the inclined portions to facilitate removal of food product from the bottom wall of the base member; and   a lid having a peripheral rim configured to mate with the peripheral flange of the base member to close the opening of the base member, the lid being removable from the base member to permit access to the opening of the base member.   
   
   
       21 . The reclosable food package of  claim 20 , wherein each of the channels have a pair of opposing side panels, a bottom panel and an end panel, the bottom panel being generally parallel to the central portion of the bottom wall. 
   
   
       22 . The reclosable food package of  claim 21 , wherein the opposing side panels of each of the channels are generally parallel. 
   
   
       23 . The reclosable food package of  claim 21 , wherein the opposing side panels are generally triangularly shaped. 
   
   
       24 . The reclosable food package of  claim 21 , wherein the channels have a maximum depth adjacent the end panels of between about 25 to 75% of the distance from the peripheral flange to the central portion of the bottom wall. 
   
   
       25 . The reclosable food package of  claim 20 , wherein the sidewalls are generally parallel. 
   
   
       26 . The reclosable food package of  claim 20 , wherein the channels are spaced from the pair of opposing sidewalls by a segment of the inclined portion of the bottom wall.