Abstract: Bag making apparatus and method for forming a handle opening in a thermoplastic food packaging shrink bag includes both cold cutting and hot cut cutting operations to form a handle which, on heat shrinking the bag, is strong and has an enhanced appearance.

Abstract: A food product package includes a bulky food product hermetically sealed in a bag of heat shrunk film. The package has an integral self-supporting handle which is formed from plies of the film and which extends out from an end of the package in a conventional handle shape. The handle is formed by causing a skirt portion of the bag to heat shrink about a rigid member positioned to maintain the skirt portion spaced from an end of the package during shrinking.

Abstract: A heat shrinkable bag having a slit cut through two plies of a skirt portion so that the skirt forms a handle upon heat shrinking. The slit is cold cut through both plies of the skirt for most of the slit length except the opposite ends of the slit are burnt through the skirt to weld the plies together at the slit ends.

Abstract: A food product package includes a bulky food product hermetically sealed in a bag of heat shrunk film. The package has an integral self-supporting handle which is formed from plies of the film and which extends out from an end of the package in a conventional handle shape. The handle is formed by causing a skirt portion of the bag to heat shrink about a rigid member positioned to maintain the skirt portion spaced from an end of the package during shrinking.

Abstract: Vacuum packaging apparatus and method for evacuating and heat sealing bags employs a clamp, swingable over substantially the full length of the bagged product, to effect a temporary air-tight seal of an evacuated bag during transport of the evacuated bag from an evacuating zone to a heat sealing zone. The apparatus also includes a platen having a shallow V-shaped configuration to cradle the bagged product and the V-shaped being flattened to a plane and the platen being elevated to facilitate automatic removal of the bagged product from the platen.

Abstract: The heat sealing wire of an impulse heat sealer is held against an operating face of a support bar by an insulating fabric which is draped over the wire and secured in a slot formed in the support bar. The securing drape of fabric allows unrestricted expansion and contraction of the hot wire. Also if the slot lies in a curved plane which extends perpendicular to the plane of the support bar operating face, the drape of insulating fabric and consequently the sealing wire follow the same curve so the heat sealer can make seals of a non-linear configuration.

Abstract: A shrink bag having one end heat sealed to form the closed end of a bag pocket and including a skirt portion at this closed end which forms a handle upon heat shrinking the bag about a food product. The bag is particularly adapted for packaging whole turkeys and the like and, to this end, the heat seal is configured so the bag pocket closed end is a deep cavity shaped to accommodate the tail end of the turkey.

Abstract: Vacuum packaging method and apparatus for heat sealable bags in which a clamp is used to effect a temporary air-tight seal of an evacuated bag while the bag is transported through a region of atmospheric pressure to a heat sealer. After heat sealing to effect a permanent air-tight closure, the clamp is open and the bag removed.

Abstract: An article and method for use in making stuffed food products with at least one flat end has a plurality of annular discs connected one to another by a long tubular membrane which passes through the central opening in each disc. The membrane is transversely circumferentially perforated between each disc and stuffing pressures cause the tubular membrane to longitudinally extend and tear at the preforations so that discs can be longitudinally separated and introduced one at a time into the stuffed food product for flattening an end of the product.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for stuffing food product into shirred casing wherein an internal sizing member and an external engaging member cooperate to provide casing presizing and casing holdback. A small relative motion between said sizing member and said engaging member controllably reduces holdback to facilitate gathering and clipping the stuffed product.

Abstract: A shirred casing article includes a tubular member which supports shirred casing at one end and a plurality of flattening disks at the other. The casing contains volatile agent which is detrimental to the disks if exposed to the disks over time. A barrier, such as a bag or wrap, impervious to the agent is closed over and about either the disks or the shirred casing to isolate the casing and the flattening disks one from the other.

Abstract: A tension sleeve for a stuffing machine on which is predisposed a casing supply prior to connection of the tension sleeve to the stuffing machine. A sizing means is attached to the tension sleeve by a nosepiece. The nosepiece has a collar extending into a nesting relationship with the tension sleeve. A stop on the nosepiece limits the nesting relationship and also positions and locates the sizing means on the nosepiece. A one-way lock on the collar and aft of the stop attaches to the tension sleeve and a second one-way lock forward of the stop attaches to the sizing means.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for automatically and continuously producing encased food product having a uniform diameter and flat ends.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for stuffing food product into shirred casing having an important application in the stuffing of large muscle groups such as whole boned hams. A demountable stuffing horn carries its own supply of shirred casing compressed in place at a high packing efficiency. Means are provided for readily and efficiently dismounting a horn from the stuffing machine when its casing supply is expended and mounting a replacement with a new supply in its place. Internal holdback means on the horn, manipulated through the casing by an external control device on the machine, provide a wide range of casing holdback force.

Abstract: An adjustable sizing means for food casing includes a tubular member having latch means at each end for mounting the tubular member to a stuffing apparatus. A forward portion of the tube contains a plurality of slits which extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member. These slits define fingers which are hinged at their ends and mid point so that axially compressing the tube causes the fingers to buckle outwardly to a casing expanding size.

Abstract: A multistage piston assembly is provided in apparatus for stuffing large meat articles in flexible tubular food casing. The piston assembly is mounted in longitudinally axial alignment with the article-loading chamber and stuffing horn and includes a first stage piston and a second stage piston coaxially mounted inside the first stage piston. During the first stage of operation, the two pistons move together to force the meat article through the article-loading chamber and into the stuffing horn. The second piston is then actuated to force the meat article through the stuffing horn and into the food casing. In order to prevent loss of liquid from the meat article during the stuffing operation, the two pistons are constructed so that they fit snugly inside the loading chamber and stuffing horn with minimum clearance and also are made to be substantially coextensive in the longitudinal direction with both the chamber and horn.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for joining an end of a flexible membrane to a rigid backing. A sleeve is used which plants a portion of the membrane and a resilient member in a seat, preformed along an edge of the backing. A punch associated with the sleeve then forms the edge over the resilient member to capture the member and membrane in the seat and at the same time severs any excess portion of membrane along the edge. In one embodiment the membrane is a tube having an end joined to an annular backing about the opening in the backing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for stuffing food product into shirred casing having an important application in the stuffing of large muscle groups such as whole boned hams. A demountable stuffing horn carries its own supply of shirred casing compressed in place at a high packing efficiency. Means are provided for readily and efficiently dismounting a horn from the stuffing machine when its casing supply is expended and mounting a replacement with a new supply in its place. Internal holdback means on the horn, manipulated through the casing by an external control device on the machine, provide a wide range of casing holdback force.

Abstract: Package article useful in producing sausages having flat ends. The package article comprises a shirred casing having at least one unshirred portion and having disposed inside said unshirred portion at least two pairs of flattening annular disks with a central hole in each of said annular disks. The disk pairs are detachably-attached, at least one disk of each pair being fixedly-attached by flexible means to a disk of an adjoining pair. Additionally, the disks are overwrapped with a rigid or flexible material. Also disclosed is a method of making the package article comprising disposing inside an unshirred portion of a shirred casing stick at least two overwrapped annular disks.