A package for toasted bread slices and the like food products of flattened shape

Abstract

 A parallelepipedic cartridge package (1) for toasted bread slices (2) and the like is disclosed which can be opened casket-like by the provision of tear-open weakening lines (5,6,7) comprising a section (5) which extends the full length of a long corner edge of the package (1) and two transverse sections (6,7) which extend at opposed short corner edges adjoining the long corner edge.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a package for toasted bread slices and the like bakery products of substantially flattened shape, such as crackers, hard- tack, shortbread, sliced loaf and toasted bread, stuffed biscuits, etc.

[0002] More particularly, the invention relates to a package of the so-called cartridge type, wherein a sheet of a suitable material for food product packaging is wrapped tightly around a plurality of such food products packed together and then sealed along the opposed short sides of the packed products into a closure which follows basically the pattern of a mail letter envelope closure.

[0003] It is a known fact that the cartridge packages of the type outlined above have met with widespread acceptance by the food processing industry on account of the proven advantages that they afford from the sanitary as well as the technical and economical standpoints.

[0004] However, the difficulty remains to be solved that such packages pose to the end consumer when one or more of the packaged food products is to be taken out for consumption. In fact, to open the package, the consumer will start from one of the package short sides, where the overlapping flaps of the package can be torn open, thereby the first of the packaged products presents itself face up still firmly withheld all around its perimeter by the packaging sheet. The recognized difficulty encountered in getting hold of the product and the friable nature of the latter both hint to the advisability of also tearing the package open some distance down one or more of its long sides. But even so, the risk of crushing the packaged product to be picked up into bits cannot be fully avoided, and in addition, the package cannot be closed again or at least closed with some assurance of its being tight and hygienically satisfactory.

[0005] The problem that underlies this invention is to provide a cartridge package of the kind specified above which has such construction and performance characteristics as to overcome the cited drawbacks with which the prior art is beset, that is so as, additionally to facilitating the picking up of the individual packaged products with no risk of their being crushed in so doing, to afford good package re-closing features for a practically unlimited number of times.

[0006] This problem is solved according to the invention by a cartridge package for toasted bread slices and the like food products of substantially flattened shape, laid close against one another into a pack, wherein a wrapper comprising a sheet of a suitable material for food product packaging which is wrapped tightly around said pack and sealed at the opposed short sides thereof, characterized in that said wrapper is formed with a tear-open weakening line which spans the full length of the pack and equal transverse sections at the opposed short sides thereof, and means for tearing the wrapper all along said line to open the package substantially in a casket-like fashion.

[0007] The features and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description of a package according to the invention, given with reference to the accompanying illustrative and non-limitative drawings which show, by way of example, the packaging of toasted bread slices.

[0008] In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a sheet of a suitable material for food packaging, as pre-cut to provide a cartridge package for toasted bread slices in accordance with the invention;

Figures 2 and 3 show in perspective a package according to the invention in the closed and opened conditions thereof, respectively; and

Figure 4 illustrates schematically a method of providing the blank shown in Figure 1.

[0009] With reference to the drawing views, generally shown at 1 is package of the so-called cartridge type intended for a predetermined number of toasted bread slices 2, laid close against one another into a substantially parallelepipedic pack. The package comprises a parallelepipedic wrapper 3 formed from a sheet 4 of a suitable material for food packaging (Figure 1) which is wrapped tightly around said pack of toasted bread slices and sealed along opposed short sides thereof, that is around the toasted bread slices which form the opposed ends of said pack. Specifically, the wrapper 3 is sealed by having triangular end flaps thereof overlapped and secured, and follows basically the same pattern as a letter mail envelope.

[0010] The sheet blank 4 (Figure 1) dimensions are related to the overall, flat-developed surface of the parallelepipedic pack toasted bread slices 2 and shown thereon in phantom lines are the lines along which said sheet 4 is folded into the wrapper 3 for packaging a toasted bread slice pack therein.

[0011] The sheet blank 4 is provided with a tear-open weakening line comprising a section 5 which spans the full length of a long corner edge of said wrapper 3, and two equal sections 6, 7 extending along opposed, parallel short corner edges of the wrapper 3 contiguous with the long corner edge just mentioned. The tear-open weakening line 5, 6, 7 bounds, along three sides, one of the side walls of the wrapper 3, which wall is denoted by the reference numeral 8 in Figure 1. The fourth side of said wall is a hinge side for opening the wrapper, as explained hereinafter.

[0012] Generally shown at 9 is a pull tongue for opening the wrapper 3. This tongue comprises a first portion 9a, glued on the wall 8 in the vicinity of the section 5 of the tear-open weakening line, and a second portion 9b which extends beyond said section 5 externally of the wall 8. The portion 9b has a region 10 coated with an adhesive layer shown hatched in Figure 1.

[0013] A selected number of toasted bread slices 2, laid against one another into a substantially parallelepipedic pack, are packaged by wrapping tightly therearound a sheet blank 4 in accordance with the invention using a conventional technique, and then sealing the resulting wrapper 3 along the short sides of the slice pack, as by securing folded down overlapping flaps.

[0014] The package thus obtained (Figure 2) is quite similar in appearance to a conventional type cartridge package except for the provision of the tongue 9, the portion 9b whereof is accessible for the consumer, and the tear-open weakening line 5, 6, 7.

[0015] By means of this portion 9b, the wrapper 3 can be torn along said tear-open weakening line 5, 6, 7 to open the package 1 "casket-like" fashion, essentially by tilting the wall 8 open about its reapective hinged side. In this way, the entire pack of toasted breads slices becomes accessible for the consumer with the toasted bread slices 2 arranged edgewise and, therefore, convenient to seize and pull out. After some of the toasted bread slices have been picked up, the package can be reclosed, this being feasible so long as the adhesive of the layer 10 can stick to the corresponding wall of the wrapper 3.

[0016] Thus, the technical problem submitted at the start is fully solved to provide advantages which are self-evident.

[0017] A further major advantage is that the package of this invention can be manufactured on a commercial scale in an automated manner using the same equipment as has been employed to manufacture conventional cartridge packages. In fact, the sheet blank 4 whence the inventive wrapper 3 is formed can be a repeated unit on a coiled web 11, the manufacture whereof is illustrated schematically in Figure 4.

[0018] With reference to this figure of the drawings, indicated at 12 is a coil or roll of a fresh web to be "labelled" which, at a paper marking station 13, is provided with appropriate tear-open weakening lines. Subsequently to a conventional glue application step, at a labelling station 14 the web is applied labels constituting the pull tongues 9. The processed web is then wound back into a coil and the coil 15 of labelled web is then loaded into a conventional packaging machine, e.g. for toasted bread slices, and utilized in quite a similar manner as for providing conventional packages.

Claims

1. A cartridge package for toasted bread slices

(2) and the like food products of substantially flattened shape, laid close against one another into a pack, wherein a wrapper (3) comprising a sheet (4) of a suitable material for food product packaging which is wrapped tightly around said pack (2) and sealed at the opposed short sides thereof, characterized in that said wrapper (3) is formed with a tear-open weakening line (5,6,7) which spans the full length of the pack (2) and equal transverse sections at the opposed short sides thereof, means (9) being provided for tearing the wrapper (3) all along said line (5,6,7) to open said package (1) substantially in a casket-like fashion.

2. A cartridge package according to Claim 1, characterized in that said means for tearing the wrapper (3) to open it substantially casket-like comprises a pull tongue (9) having a portion (9a) attached to said wrapper (3) at the longitudinal section (5) of said tear-open weakening line (5,6,7) and a portion (9b) provided with an adhesive layer (10) for opening said wrapper casket-like and re-closing it.

3. A sheet of a suitable material for food products, in particular for packaging toasted bread slices and the like food products of substantially flattened shape, laid against one another into a pack (2), characterized in that it has dimensions related to the flat development of the overall lateral surface of said pack, and that it is formed with a tear-open weakening line (5,6,7) comprising a section (5) with the same length as said pack (2) and two sections (6,7) lying transversely of the first-mentioned section, and in that it comprises a pull tongue (9) having a portion (9a) secured on said sheet (4) in the vicinity of the section (5) of said tear-open weakening line (5,6,7).

4. A sheet for packaging toasted bread slices and the like food products of substantially flattened shape according to Claim 3, characterized in that it forms a repeated unit of a coiled web.

Drawing