Abstract: When hanging from a conveyor line, cleaned eviscerated, whole poultry is stiff and in a "rigor mortis" type condition. This condition makes it very difficult to compress the stretched-out, stiff bird into a compact, plumb-appearing shape so that it can be readily placed into a bag for further packaging. Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus in which a cam actuated tray picks up the bird while it is hanging from shackles, and pushes the bird towards its legs so that the legs are forcibly flexed and the stiffened condition is overcome. Once this initial flexing takes place the legs can easily be repositioned either manually or on most automatic loading equipment.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for vacuum packaging goods in heat shrinkable, thermoplastic bags in a vacuum chamber equipped with flexible, heated diaphragms that can be collapsed upon a filled bag to heat it to shrinking temperature.

Abstract: A reclosable package, e.g. for food products, is made by sealing one side of a closure strip to a first thermoplastic sheet; enclosing a product between that first sheet and a second thermoplastic sheet with the closure strip inside the enclosure; and, sealing another side of the closure strip to the second sheet while the strip and product are so enclosed.

Abstract: A pouch for containing wine or other oxygen-sensitive liquid is formed from superposed layers of plastic film having welds to define a rectangular pouch with a straight-sided or shallowly tapering passage communicating a main container portion of the pouch with the exterior of the pouch. When the pouch is full, this passage is sealed off by a further weld which is removed by the consumer to allow the consumer to insert a separate valve into the pouch for dispensing of the liquid.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for providing a large number of sealing clips inside a vacuum food bagging machine comprising a coil of clips containing many more clips than the prior art straight magazine. The apparatus includes a racheting positive feeder which draws the line of clips off a reel holding the coil, and through a turning means to orient the clips for feeding into the existing clipping station of the bagging machine. The feeder does not permit the line of clips to back away from the clipping station.

Abstract: A heat sealable and shrinkable, coextruded, multi-layer packaging film having a propylene homopolymer base layer and a skin layer of a preferred blend of 60% to 80% propylene-ethylene copolymer with propylene homopolymer provides a sealing temperature range of up to 30.degree. C.

Abstract: An easily peelable heat seal between two sheets of cross-linkable polyolefin packaging materials is achieved by cross-linking the polyolefin material in each sheet by irradiating the sheets to a dosage level of at least 3 MR prior to heat sealing the sheets together. The easily peelable seal is especially useful where film surfaces in large flange areas are sealed together.