Patents by Inventor Gerald O. Hustad

Gerald O. Hustad has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5924795
    Abstract: A reclosable, hermetically-sealed flexible package which has an inner, hermetic pool seal and a reclosure seal comprised of interlocking closure strips is provided with a tamper-evident feature located peripheral to the reclosure seal. The tamper-evident feature must be visibly disrupted to gain access to the reclosure seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Kraft Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Bjorn J. Thompson, Gerald O. Hustad, Todd S. Marnocha
  • Patent number: 5657873
    Abstract: A food package comprising a rigid plastic base tray having at least three compartments, the tray being covered by a flexible film which is airtightly sealed to flanges of the tray to airtightly or hermetically seal the respective compartments. A label structure integrally associated with the flexible film has opaque areas for label information and transparent areas for viewing the product. The label structure may be formed by separate pressure sensitive labels, by printing on the flexible film itself or by a shrink wrapped band with printing thereon. A structure associated with the bottom of the tray may provide rigidity, protect the bottom of the tray, provide an additional area for commercial information and/or provide a stand-up feature. The materials of the package may be selected to maximize recyclability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: Kraft Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald O. Hustad, Yolanda M. Launder, Bjorn J. Thompson, Joel W. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5657874
    Abstract: A food package comprising a rigid plastic base tray having at least three compartments, the tray being covered by a flexible film which is airtightly sealed to flanges of the tray to airtightly or hermetically seal the respective compartments. A label structure integrally associated with the flexible film has opaque areas for label information and transparent areas for viewing the product. The label structure may be formed by separate pressure sensitive labels, by printing on the flexible film itself or by a shrink wrapped band with printing thereon. A structure associated with the bottom of the tray may provide rigidity, protect the bottom of the tray, provide an additional area for commercial information and/or provide a stand-up feature. The materials of the package may be selected to maximize recyclability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: Kraft Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald O. Hustad, Yolanda M. Launder, Bjorn J. Thompson, Joel W. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5582853
    Abstract: A multi-seal flexible recloseable package having a tapered product cavity formed in one of the package sidewalls has a generally wedged-shaped cavity into which a doubled-over shingled stack of the food product slices are sealed. The package has a first, peelable hermetic seal located next to an access edge of the product cavity and a second, recloseable seal positioned directly above the peelable seal. Vertical extensions of the package sidewalls are sealed together at their tops to form a third package seal which has a tamper-evident tear strip. One or more openings in the vertical package extensions allow the package to be supported on a display hook.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Kraft Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd S. Marnocha, Brian P. Lawless, Gerald O. Hustad
  • Patent number: 5503856
    Abstract: A recloseable package has discrete, multiple product portion enclosures between first and second package films. Each product portion enclosure is separated from its adjacent product portion enclosure by a package central web portion. A recloseable seal is provided on the central web portion for each multiple product portion enclosure, and the product is hermetically sealed in its portion enclosure by a hermetic seal extending around the periphery thereof and interior of each recloseable seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1996
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald O. Hustad, Timothy G. Mally
  • Patent number: 5456928
    Abstract: A reclosable, hermetically-sealed flexible package which has an inner, hermetic peelable seal and a reclosure seal, typically including interlocking closure strips, is provided with one or more of various tamper-evident features which provide an easily visible and noticeable indication of disruption thereof of the type that would gain access to the reclosure seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 10, 1995
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald O. Hustad, Daniel A. Thiemann, Cindy M. Wells
  • Patent number: 5443154
    Abstract: A hermetically sealed food product package is provided having a vacuum sealed or gas flushed and sealed product cavity and having a preformed perforated or cutaway portion on at least one of the sheets of film forming the package to allow easy separation of the package in order to gain access to the vacuum or gas flushed product cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1995
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald O. Hustad, Jeffrey M. Lipinski
  • Patent number: 5405629
    Abstract: A multi-seal flexible recloseable package having a tapered product cavity formed in one of the package sidewalls has a generally wedged-shaped cavity into which a doubled-over shingled stack of the food product slices are sealed. The package has a first, peelable hermetic seal located next to an access edge of the product cavity and a second, recloseable seal positioned directly above the peelable seal. Vertical extensions of the package sidewalls are sealed together at their tops to form a third package seal which has a tamper-evident tear strip. One or more openings in the vertical package extensions allow the package to be supported on a display hook.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1995
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventors: Todd S. Marnocha, Brian P. Lawless, Gerald O. Hustad
  • Patent number: 5375701
    Abstract: A food package comprising a rigid plastic base tray having at least three compartments, the tray being covered by a flexible film which is airtightly sealed to flanges of the tray to airtightly or hermetically seal the respective compartments. A label structure integrally associated with the flexible film has opaque areas for label information and transparent areas for viewing the product. The label structure may be formed by separate pressure sensitive labels, by printing on the flexible film itself or by a shrink wrapped band with printing thereon. A structure associated with the bottom of the tray may provide rigidity, protect the bottom of the tray, provide an additional area for commercial information and/or provide a stand-up feature. The materials of the package may be selected to maximize recyclability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1994
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald O. Hustad, Yolanda M. Launder, Bjorn J. Thompson, Joel W. Johnson
  • Patent number: 5293997
    Abstract: A food package container including a base and a body in alignment with and peelably sealed to each other is provided. At least one of snap closure assembly is provided on the respective peripheral flanges of the base and body, and this snap closure assembly provides an audible snapping signal when the consumer recloses the food packaging container. The closure assembly includes an insertion projection and an opening in general registry therewith which is undersized with respect to the projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1994
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald O. Hustad, Paul E. Grindrod
  • Patent number: 5224779
    Abstract: A reclosable, hermetically-sealed flexible package which has an inner, hermetic peel seal and a reclosure seal comprised of interlocking closure strips is provided with a tamper-evident feature located peripheral to the reclosure seal. The tamper-evident feature must be visibly disrupted to gain access to the reclosure seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1993
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventors: Bjorn J. Thompson, Gerald O. Hustad, Todd S. Marnocha
  • Patent number: 5129517
    Abstract: This invention pretains to a reclosable package having a body member, a base, a hermetic seal between the body member and base and snap locking projections in the side walls of the body member and base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1992
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventor: Gerald O. Hustad
  • Patent number: 5123527
    Abstract: A food package having a rigid base tray formed of resilient material and having a plurality of recessed compartments, at least some of said recessed compartments containing food products and being air-tightly sealed with a flexible film. The rigid base tray is enclosed within a sleeve which includes front and back panels connected together by upper side and lower side panels. The sleeve may include a feature permitting the package to be displayed upright. The sleeve would include a structure for easily breaking the sleeve so that the consumer can easily reach the contents of the rigid base tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1992
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventor: Gerald O. Hustad
  • Patent number: 5107658
    Abstract: A reclosable package comprising interlocking closure strips positioned outside of a hermetic seal or seal area and the method for producing and filling same. The hermetic seal is of the easy-open or peelaway type so as to not destroy the integrity of the package or closure strips upon opening of the package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1992
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald O. Hustad, Ray H. Griesbach
  • Patent number: 5103979
    Abstract: A package is provided which incorporates a peel seal area or areas that provide readily detectable evidence that the package has been opened or tampered with. Message indicia are provided at the peel seal, and the appearance of the message indicia changes when the peel seal area, which has a contact clarity condition when sealed, is broken resulting in the onset of an opacity condition which thereby obscures message indicia and/or makes message indicia visible in order to inform a consumer or potential purchaser that the peel seal has been broken.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1992
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corp.
    Inventor: Gerald O. Hustad
  • Patent number: 5077064
    Abstract: A recloseable, peggable package wherein the enclosed product is packaged between first and second package panels includes two package extensions and a recloseable seal strip interior of the package extensions. The package panels are hermetically sealed around their periphery and further sealed to the recloseable seal strip exterior of the hermetic seal. The first and second package panel extensions are sealed exterior of the recloseable seal strip and the extensions contain at least one opening extending therethrough which enables the package to be vertically displayed on a display member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1991
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald O. Hustad, Brian P. Lawless, Todd S. Marnocha
  • Patent number: 5074416
    Abstract: A recloseable package is disclosed wherein the enclosed product is packaged between first and second package panels in which one of the two package panels has a recloseable seal element integrally formed therein. The other package panel contains a complementary and opposing, recloseable seal element which engages the formed recloseable seal element to define a recloseable seal. The two package panels are further hermetically sealed around their periphery interior of the recloseable seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1991
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventor: Gerald O. Hustad
  • Patent number: 5064664
    Abstract: A package is provided which incorporates a peel seal area or areas that provide readily detectable evidence that the package has been opened or tampered with. Message indicia are provided at or near the peel seal, and the appearance of the message indicia changes when the peel seal area, which has a contact clarity condition when sealed, is broken resulting in the onset of an opacity condition in a background area but not in an indicia area in order to inform a consumer or potential purchaser that the peel seal has been broken. The peel seal area is provided by impressing onto the package a heat seal bar having message indicia engraved thereinto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1991
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventors: Gerald O. Hustad, Paul A. Zerfas
  • Patent number: 5050736
    Abstract: A reclosable package comprising interlocking closure strips positioned outside of a hermetic seal or seal area and the method for producing same. The hermetic seal is of the easy-open or peelaway type so as to not destroy the integrity of the package or closure strips upon opening of the package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1991
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventors: Ray H. Griesbach, Gerald O. Hustad
  • Patent number: 5031383
    Abstract: This invention pertains to a reclosable package having a body member, a base, a hermetic seal between the body member and base and snap locking projections in the side walls of the body member and base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1991
    Assignee: Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
    Inventor: Gerald O. Hustad