Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02346692 2001-04-06
HEAT-SHRINKABLE FILM PACKAGE
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a heat-
shrinkable film package of a vessel for groceries,
etc., and more specifically to a heat-shrinkable film
package capable of newly re-utilizing a vessel after
consuming a grocery, etc., contained therein as a
vessel for reserving for a long period of time and/or a
cooking vessel.
Background of the Invention
Hitherto, as means for storing groceries such as
jams, honeys, coffees, etc., for a long period of time
without changing the qualities, there are vessels for
containing them in tightly sealed state, such as
bottled goods, etc. However, because in a sealed
vessel of prior art, when the vessel is once opened,
the quality of the grocery contained is quickly
changed, after opening, the grocery must be consumed
fast and when this is neglected, the grocery must be
wasted, and the increase of the wasted amount
deteriorates the environment. Also, because in sealed
vessels of prior art, when the groceries contained are
consumed, the vessels are wasted as empty bottles or
empty cans, they also cause the increase of the
environmental pollution.
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Self-governing bodies are compelled to bear the
large expense for the disposals of the wasted
groceries, etc., and empty vessels as described above,
and thus, the countermeasure for reducing the amounts
of the wastes has been taken up as national problems.
Disclosure of the Invention
An object of the invention is to provide a heat-
shrinkable film package capable of storing contained
groceries for a long period of time not only before
opening the seal of the packed vessel but also after
opening the seal of the vessel.
Other object of the invention .is to provide a
heat-shrinkable film package, which reduces the wasted
amounts of groceries, etc., by capable of storing the
groceries contained thereon for a long period of time
after opening the seal of the packed vessel, and also,
contributes to reduce the amounts of waste materials by
making it possible to utilize the empty vessel after
consuming the groceries, etc., contained therein as a
new vessel for storing for a long period of time and/or
a cooking vessel without wasting the empty vessels.
That is, the present invention has been made for
attaining the above-described objects and the invention
provides a heat-shrinkable package wherein openings)
is or are formed to a lid equipped to the open portion
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of a vessel main body for sealing the inside of the
vessel, a gas non-permeable sheet having formed air
vents at the off set positions from the openings is
disposed on the surface of the outer side of the lid
and closely stuck thereto such that the seat covers the
above-described opening to construct a vessel for
containing groceries, etc., and at least the above-
described whole lid is covered with a heat-shrinkable
film.
As described above, by covering at least the
whole lid with a heat-shrinkable film before opening
the seal of the vessel, the groceries, etc., contained
therein can be stored for a long period of time. The
above-described situation is same as the case of a
vessel of prior art.
However, because in the structure of the vessel
in the invention, an opening is formed in the lid, and,
a gas non-permeable sheet having formed air vents at
the off set positions from the opening is disposed on
the surface of the outer side of the lid by closely
adhering thereto such that the seat covers the above-
described opening, when a suction means is applied to
the outer side of the gas non-permeable sheet and
sucking, the inside air is sucked from the opening
through the air vents of the gas non-permeable sheet,
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the amount of active oxygen in the inside of the vessel
is reduced, and the reduced-pressure state is
maintained. Accordingly, rotting by oxidation of the
groceries, etc., contained is delayed and also, the
growth, etc., of bacteria is restrained, whereby the
stable storage for a long period of time becomes
possible.
Also, in the vessel that can be maintained at the
reduced-pressure state as described above, for example,
vegetables lightly preserved in salt of rice brain in
the reduced-pressure state can be formed as pickled
vegetables of a mild taste in a very short time, and
thus, the vessel can be used as a specific cooking
vessel. Also, similarly, about a jam or liquors (sake,
shochu, whisky, etc.), by storing them in the reduced-
pressure state, the quality thereof can be changed to a
mild taste in a short time.
Also, because the above-described vessel in the
invention can store groceries, etc., for a long period
of time even after opening the seal of the vessel, the
waste amount of the groceries, etc., by rotting is
reduced, and also because the empty vessel after
consuming the groceries contained can be re-utilized as
a vessel for storing for a long period of time, the
amounts of the wastes can be wholly reduced, whereby
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the disposal cost of the self-governing bodies can be
reduced.
Also, because the heat-shrinkable film covers at
least the whole lid of the vessel, the film can prevent
the occurrences of the movement and slipping of the gas
non-permeable sheet disposed on the outer side of the
lid by the contact with outside obstacles,~whereby the
leakage, etc., of the groceries contained can be
prevented.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 (A) and (B) show an embodiment of the
heat-shrinkable film package of the invention, wherein
(A) is a cross-sectional view and (B) is a plain view,
Fig. 2 (A) and (B) show the state of the heat-
shrinkable film package of Fig. 1 after opening the
seal, wherein (A) is a cross-sectional view and (B) is
a plain view,
Fig. 3 (A) and (B) show the views explaining the
pressure-reduction operation of a vessel packed to the
heat-shrinkable film package of the invention, wherein
(A) is a cross-sectional view of a gas non-permeable
sheet at sucking operation, and (B) is a cross-
sectional view of the gas non-permeable sheet after
sucking operation,
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of other
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embodiment of the heat-shrinkable filmpackage of the
invention,
Fig. 5 is cross-sectional viewof still other
a
embodiment of the heat-shrinkable filmpackage of the
invention,
Fig. 6 is cross-sectional viewof still other
a
embodiment of the heat-shrinkable filmpackage of the
invention,
Fig. 7 is cross-sectional viewof still other
a
embodiment of the heat-shrinkable filmpackage of the
invention,
Fig. 8 is cross-sectional viewof still other
a
embodiment of the heat-shrinkable filmpackage of the
invention,
Fig. 9 is cross-sectional viewof still other
a
embodiment of the heat-shrinkable filmpackage of the
invention,
Fig. 10 is cross-sectional view
a of
still
other
embodiment of the heat-shrinkable filmpackage of the
invention, and
Fig. 11 is cross-sectional view
a of
still
other
embodiment of the heat-shrinkable filmpackage of the
invention.
Bes t Mode for Carrying the Invention
out
The heat-shr inkable film kageof the invention
pac
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is constructed of a vessel composed of a main body
containing a grocery and a lid, and a heat-shrinkable
film covering the outer side of the vessel such that
tightly sealing at least the portion of the lid. Also,
an opening penetrating the lid from the inside to the
outside is formed in the lid of the vessel, and a gas
non-permeable sheet is disposed on the outer surface of
the lid such that the sheet closely adhered to the
sheet by covering the above-described opening. Also,
the gas non-permeable sheet is constructed such that
the sheet has air vents at the off set positions from
the position corresponding to the opening of the lid.
It is better to install the above-described lid
to an opening portion of the vessel main body via
packing. The packing not only improve the adhesion of
the opening portion of the vessel main body and the lid
but also prevents entering of air and various bacteria
in the case of reduce the pressure of the inside of the
vessel, whereby the keeping quality of the inside
grocery for a long period time is more improved. The
packing may be simply placed between the vessel main
body and the lid, may be adhered to the lid side, or
may be adhered to the vessel main body side, but
preferably, it is better to adhere the packing to the
lid side from the convenience of handling property.
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Furthermore, in addition to the above-described
packing a tightly sealing sheet may be directly adhered
to the opening portion of the vessel main body to seal
the vessel. By directly adhering such a tightly
sealing sheet to the opening portion of the vessel main
body, the keeping quality for a long period of time of
the grocery contained in the vessel before opening the
seal of the vessel can be more improved. As the
tightly sealing sheet, an aluminum vapor deposited
resin film, a laminate sheet of a resin film and a
resin film, a laminated sheet of a paper and a resin
sheet, etc., can be used.
In the invention, the heat-shrinkable film of
covering the outer side of the vessel has a function of
tightly sealing the inside of the vessel before opening
the seal to obtain the keeping quality of the grocery
contained in the inside for a long period of time.
Accordingly, it is necessary that the heat-shrinkable
film covers at least the whole outer side of the lid of
the vessel, and because the inside of the vessel is
made a closely sealed state by covering at least the
whole lid as described above, the contained grocery,
etc., can be stored for a long period of time.
Preferably, in the case of containing a grocery,
etc., in the vessel before covering with the heat-
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shrinkable film as described above, by making the
inside of the vessel substantially a sterile state by
heating or by reducing the amount of active oxygen by a
pressure-reducing treatment, the preservation of a
longer period of time becomes possible.
By heat-treating the heat-shrinkable film in the
case of covering the vessel, the heat-shrinkable film
is shrunk by itself to fast-stuck to the outer surface
of the vessel, whereby a high sealing property is
obtained. Particularly, by covering the outer side of
the gas non-permeable sheet disposed on the outer
surface of the lid with the heat-shrinkable film, the
sheet is not brought into contact with other materials,
whereby the sheet is not simply released or does not
fall off .
As the material of the heat-shrinkable film used
in the invention, any stretched synthetic resin films
can be used. Stretching may be uniaxial or biaxial,
and, for example, there are uniaxially or biaxially
stretched polyethylene film, polypropylene film,
polyester film, polyvinyl chloride film, polyvinyldene
- film, etc. The thickness of the film differs according
to the size, the weight, the form, etc., of the vessel,
but is preferably from about 10 to 20 Eun.
As the heat-shrinkable film before packing, it is
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better to use the heat-shrinkable film of a tube form
and being stretched to at least the tube peripheral
direction. As a method of obtained such a heat-
shrinkable film tube, there are a method of connecting
a synthetic resin film to a tube by a fusing seal
method, a ultrasonic sealing method, or a solvent
connecting method, and a method of jetting a molten
resin in a film form from slit holes formed by
intermittently circularly disposing circular arc-form
slits and while introducing air from the space between
the adjacent slit holes, welding the films formed from
the slid holes to form a tube-form film.
When the vessel containing groceries, etc., is
packed with the above-described film tube, the vessel
is inserted into the film tube from one opening of the
film tube, the outer side thereof is heated to
thermally shrinking the film tube to fast-stuck the
film tube to the outer side surface of the vessel, and
further both the end portions of the film tube can be
sealed by welding to form a package.
Opening of the seal of the heat-shrinkable film
- package is carried out by cut-opening the heat-
shrinkable film and removing, and thereafter, the lid
is detached. For making easy the cut-opening and
removal of the heat-shrinkable film as described above,
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if necessary, sewing machine stitches may be formed in
a line form at the heat-shrinkable film or a short cut
may be formed at the end portion of the heat-shrinkable
film. In this case, it is necessary to form such a
sewing machine stitches or a short cut for cut opening
as described above so that the tight sealing property
of the vessel is not hindered. For the purpose, the
sewing machine stitches or the short cut must not be
formed at the portion of covering the gas non-permeable
sheet and must be formed at other portion than the
covered portion of the gas non-permeable sheet.
In the invention, there is no particular
restriction on the size of the vessel covered by the
heat-shrinkable film and the heat-shrinkable film can
be applied to from a small-sized vessel for domestic
use to a large-sized vessel for business use. For
example, the film can be applied to from a small-sized
vessel of sample bottle to a large-sized vessel of a
hotel pan. Also, as the constituting material of the
vessel main body and the lid, a glass, a metal, a
resin, a pottery, etc., can be used.
Also, in the vessel used in the invention, in
order to make it possible to store the groceries, etc.,
contained therein for a long period of time after
opening by cutting and removing the heat-shrinkable
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film and opening the seal, and further to reutilize the
vessel as a vessel for storing for a long period of
time after it becomes an empty vessel, an opening
penetrating from the inside to outside is formed to the
lid, and further, a gas non-permeable sheet is disposed
on the outer surface of the lid such that the sheet is
fast stuck thereto to cover the opening, and also, air
vents are formed to the gas non-permeable sheet at the
positions off set from the opening of the lid.
As the opening formed at the lid, there are no
particular restrictions on the form, the number, and
the size thereof when the openings) are covered by the
gas non-permeable sheet, the sheet can be kept thereon
as sucked state by a reduced pressure (negative
pressure) of the inside of the vessel. As the form of
the opening, a circle is preferred but an ellipse,
polygons such as a triangle, a square, etc., a star
form, a slit form, etc., can be employed.
The number of the opening may be one or plural.
When the number of the opening is one, the productivity
of the lids can be improved, and when the number of the
opening is plural, between the adjacent openings, the
tensile force of pulling the gas non-permeable sheet is
acted. Also, in the case of forming plural openings,
the sizes and the forms thereof may be same or
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different .
As to the size of the opening, it is better that
the maximum distance of crossing the opening (diameter
in the case of a circle) is from 3 mm to 15 mm. When
the maximum distance is shorter than 3 mm, bending and
deformation of the gas non-permeable sheet is small and
the adsorptivity becomes weak. Also, when the maxim
distance is larger than 15 mm, the necessary area of
the gas non-permeable sheet becomes excessively large,
which is undesirable from the point of cost. Also, in
this case, the gas non-permeable sheet becomes too
large and as the result thereof, it is required to use
a large suction means, which is hard to handle.
The place of forming the opening to the lid is
preferably the upper surface in the point of insuring
the holding property of the gas non-permeable sheet.
Also, in the portion of forming the opening, it is
preferred to form a concaved portion depressed to the
inside. When such a concaved portion is formed and the
gas non-permeable sheet is kept in the concaved
portion, the gas non-permeable sheet is not released by
a strong contact with other outside material, whereby
the adsorptivity of the gas non-permeable sheet can be
improved.
As the gas non-permeable sheet, a material, which
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is gas non-permeable and has flexibility, is used.
Also, because the gas non-permeable sheet alternately
repeats a flat state and bent state in the state of
disposed on the upper surface of the lid, it is
preferred to use an elastic material excellent in the
elastic recovering property as the gas non-permeable
sheet. The material having a heat resistance enduring
high temperature in addition to the above-described
properties is more preferred.
The material for such a sheet includes, for
example, a silicone rubber, a thermoplastic polymer
elastomer, and synthetic or natural rubbers. In these
materials, a silicone rubber is particularly preferred.
The thermoplastic polymer elastomer includes a
polyamide-base elastomer, a polyurethane-base
elastomer, a polyester-base elastomer, a polyolefin-
base elastomer, a styrene black-base elastomer, etc.
In these materials, a silicone rubber is particularly
preferred.
There is no particular restriction on the form of
the gas non-permeable sheet when the sheet can cover
the opening formed to the lid and air vents are formed
at the positions thereof off set from the place
corresponding to the opening. For example, as the form
thereof, a circle, an ellipse, polygons, etc., can be
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employed, and a circle is particularly preferred.
Also, the area of the gas non-permeable sheet is larger
than the size of the opening formed to the lid and must
cover the whole opening. When plural openings are
formed to the lid, the gas non-permeable sheet must
simultaneously cover all of these openings.
Also, in the gas non-permeable sheet, air vents
are formed thereto at the positions off set from the
place corresponding to the opening formed to the lid in
the case of being placed on the lid. The air vents are
used as the exhaust gas passages of air in the inside
in the case of carrying out the pressure-reducing
operation of the inside of the vessel by applying the
suction hole of the suction means on the upper surface
of the gas non-permeable sheet as will be described
below. There are no particular restrictions on the
form and the size of the air vents, but as the form, a
circle is preferred and as the size, a sufficiently
smaller size than the size of the opening of the lid is
preferred. For example, the diameter of the air vent
may be from about 0.3 to 2.0 mm. Also, the thickness
of the gas non-permeable sheet is from about 0.5 to 3
mm.
It is preferred that the surface of the gas non-
permeable sheet and the surface of the lid at the
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portion that the gas non-permeable sheet is closely
stuck to the upper surface the lid are mirror planes to
improve the sealing property. More practically, it is
preferred that the upper surface of the lid and the
surface of the gas non-permeable sheet are mirror
planes having a surface roughness of 0.2 S or lower.
Also, it is preferred that beveling of curve surface is
applied to the edge of the opening of the lid. By
applying such a beveling of the curved surface, when
the gas non-permeable sheet is brought into contact
with the edge of the opening of the lid and is bent and
deformed, the gas non-permeable sheet cannot be injured
by the edge.
In the case of making the inside of the vessel a
reduced pressure state (negative pressure state), first
the suction hole of a suction means is placed on the
outer surface of the gas non-permeable sheet disposed
on the outer side surface of the lid. In this case,
the suction hole is placed on the gas non-permeable
sheet such that the opening of the lid and the air
vents of the gas non-permeable sheet are located at the
inside of the suction hole, and in the state, sucking
operation is carried out. By the sucking operation,
the gas non-permeable sheet becomes the state of being
inflated to the inner side of the suction hole of the
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suction means, air in the vessel is sucked out to the
outside from the opening of the lid through the air
vents of the gas non-permeable sheet, and the inside of
the vessel becomes a reduced pressure state. When the
inside pressure reaches a definite reduced pressure,
the sucking operation is stopped, the gas non-permeable
sheet is closely stuck to the outer surface of the lid
and also the portion of the sheet corresponding to the
opening of the lid becomes the state of being bent to
the inner side.
Because by the gas non-permeable sheet, the
inside of the vessel is brought into a reduced pressure
state and the vessel is sealed, the entrance of various
bacteria into the inside of the vessel is prevented and
also the growth, etc., of bacteria are prevented.
Also, because active oxygen remaining in the inside of
the vessel becomes rare, the occurrence of the
oxidation reaction of the contained groceries is
delayed and even after opening the vessel, the
groceries contained therein can be preserved for a long
period of time. Also, even after consuming the
contained groceries, the vessel can be re-utilized as a
vessel for reserving groceries for a long period of
time.
Then, the present invention is practically
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explained by the embodiments shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1 (A) and (B) show an embodiment of the
heat-shrinkable film package of the invention.
A vessel 1 is constructed of a cylindrical heat-
resisting glass-made vessel main body 2 and a heat-
resisting glass-made lid 3 of closing the open portion
of the vessel via a sealing packing 4. A heat-
shrinkable film F covers the whole outer side of the
vessel 1 such that the vessel is tightly sealed, and
the inside of the vessel is sealed.
The packing 4 is formed such that the packing is
stuck to the outer periphery of the inner surface of
the lid 3. Also, a tightly sealing sheet 6 is stuck to
the upper edge 5 of the open portion of the vessel main
body 2, the groceries (goods) S in the inside of the
vessel are also sealed by the tightly sealing sheet 6,
and protected such that the groceries are not
deteriorated and leaked.
In the above-described vessel .1, an opening 7 is
formed at the center portion of the lid 3 and a
concaved portion 10 is formed at the upper surface
region including the opening 7 in a concentric circle
form with the opening 7. On the concaved portion 10 is
placed a gas non-permeable sheet 8 such that the sheet
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covers the opening 7 and to the gas non-permeable sheet
8 are formed plural (four in the figure) air vents 12
at the places gas non-permeable sheet 8 off set from
the position corresponding to the opening 7.
In the case of opening the seal of the vessel
from the package covered by the heat-shrinkable film F
as described above, first the heat-shrinkable film F is
open by cutting and removed, the vessel 1 is taken out,
then the lid 3 is detached and the sealing sheet 6 may
be released and removed. When the vessel 1 is once
opened, by simply placing the lid 3 thereafter, the
deterioration of the groceries S in the inside proceed
faster than before opening the vessel.
Fig 2 (A) and (B) show the state that the lid 3
is placed on the vessel 1 after opening as described
above, and then the inside thereof is evacuated
(negative pressure). In the gas non-permeable sheet 8
disposed on the upper surface of the lid 3, because the
inside of the vessel is in a negative pressure, the
portion of the gas non-permeable sheet corresponding to
the opening 7 is bent or deformed in a concaved form to
the inner side, and also, the gas non-permeable sheet
is tightly stuck to the upper surface of the lid 3 not
corresponding to the opening 7 and seals, whereby the
inside of the vessel is maintained at a negative
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pressure state.
By sealing the vessel 1 and maintaining the
inside pressure thereof in a reduced pressure state,
the entrance of various bacteria, etc., into the inside
of the vessel and the growth of bacteria are prevented,
and also active oxygen in the inside of the vessel
becomes rare, whereby the deterioration of the
contained groceries S is delayed and even after
opening, the storage for a long period of time becomes
possible. Also, the empty vessel 1 after consuming all
the contained groceries S can be re-utilized as the
vessel for storing for a long period of time by the use
as described above.
Also, when the vessel l,which can maintain a
reduced pressure state as described above, contains
therein pickles, jams, or liquors, etc., and is stored,
the tastes thereof can be changed to mild tastes in a
short time. Accordingly, the vessel can be also re-
utilized as a special cooking vessel.
Also the gas non-permeable sheet 8 is in the
state of being disposed in the concaved portion 10 of
the lid 3, the area of the concaved portion 10 is
larger than the area of the sheet 8, and the depth is
same as the thickness of the sheet 8 or thicker than
the thickness thereof. Accordingly, the sheet 8 is not
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projected over the opening of the concaved portion 10
and cannot become unstable in the case of piling the
vessels 1.
Also, the state that the gas non-permeable sheet
8 is bent to the inner side at the portion of the
opening 7 of the lid 3 and kept by adsorbing as
described above is maintained until the vessel 1 is
opened and the reduced pressure is released, and when
the reduced pressure is released, the bent state of the
sheet 8 is returned to a flat state by the elastic
force thereof. Accordingly, by confirming the presence
or absence of the bent state of the sheet 8, whether or
not the vessel 1 is opened on the way can be easily
confirmed. That is, whether or not a poison, etc., is
admixed in the vessel by a mischief, etc., can be
checked beforehand.
Because when the inside of the vessel is in a
reduced pressure state, by the action of the
atmospheric pressure, the lid 3 is hard to open by a
weak force, and thus, by the easiness or not of opening
the lid 3, whether or not the vessel is opened on the
way can be confirmed. That is, whether or not a
poison, etc., is admixed in the vessel can be checked
beforehand.
The operation of making the inside of the vessel
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1 described above a reduced pressure state can be
practiced as shown in Fig. 3 (A) and (B).
First, the opening 7 of the lid 3 is covered by a
flexible gas non-permeable sheet 8 at the upper surface
of the lid, and the sheet 8 is placed on the lid 3 such
that the air vents 12 of the sheet 8 is off set from
the opening 7, and then, the sucking hole Km of a
sucking means K is pushed to the outer surface of the
sheet 8. In this case, the sucking hole Km is set such
that the opening 7 and the air vents 12 are all
positioned in the inside of the sucking hole.
Then, when sucking is carried out by the sucking
means K, the sheet 8 is bent as rising to the sucking
side as shown in Fig. 3 (A), and a gas such as air in
the inside of the vessel is sucked out from the opening
7 through the air vents 12 as indicated by arrow, and
the pressure of the inside of the vessel is reduced to
a negative pressure.
When the inside of the vessel becomes a definite
negative pressure and then the sucking operation is
stopped, the sheet 8 is sucked back to the vessel side
by the negative pressure of the inside of the vessel,
the sheet is closely stuck onto the upper surface of
the lid 2 and also the portion of the sheet
corresponding to the opening 7 is bent in a concaved
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form to the inner side of vessel as shown in Fig. 3
(B).
Fig. 4 to Fig. 11 show other embodiments of the
heat-shrinkable film package of the invention.
The heat-shrinkable film package shown in Fig. 4
is almost same as the embodiment of Fig. 1 but in this
case, the heat-shrinkable film F does not cover the
whole body of the vessel 1 but covers the whole body of
the lid 3 and the portion near the open portion of the
vessel main body 1. Because the heat-shrinkable film F
in the heat-shrinkable film package covers at least the
whole lid body, the sealing property of the inside of
the vessel is maintained, and the storing property for
a long period of time before opening the vessel is
maintained.
In the heat-shrinkable film package shown in Fig.
5, the heat-shrinkable film F covers the whole lid as
the embodiment of Fig. 4. However, different from the
embodiments shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, the sealing
sheet 6 is not stuck to the open portion of the vessel
main body 2, the inside of the vessel is made a
negative pressure state by a pressure reducing
treatment. For the purpose, the gas non-permeable
sheet 8 is in the state of bending the inner side in
the opening 7 of the lid 3. In the heat-shrinkable
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film package, before releasing the sheet 8, the lid 3
is adsorbed by the action of the reduced pressure
action of the inside of the vessel, the vessel cannot
be open.
In a heat-shrinkable film package shown in Fig.
6, the form and the material of a vessel 1 are
different from those of the embodiments of Fig. 1, Fig.
4, Fig. 5, etc. That is, a lid 3 is made of a heat-
resisting glass but the vessel main body 2 is made of a
metal such as stainless steel, etc. Also, a difference
in level is formed at the peripheral portion of the
inner surface of the lid 3 to prevent the occurrence of
gap of packing 4. The heat-shrinkable film F does not
cover the whole vessel main body and covers the lid 3,
the sheet 8, and the open portion region of the vessel
main body 2. Even by partial covering, because the
sheet covers at least the whole body of the lid 3, the
inside of the vessel can be sealed.
In a heat-shrinkable film package shown in Fig.
7. a vessel main body 2 and a lid 3 are made of a heat-
resisting glass but the form of the vessel main body 2
is a truncated cone form and the lid 3 is a bowl form.
Also, a heat-shrinkable film F covers the whole body of
the vessel 1.
In a heat-shrinkable film package shown in Fig.
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CA 02346692 2001-04-06
8, a vessel main body 2 and a lid 3 are made of a metal
such as a stainless steel, etc., and the form of the
vessel main body 2 is truncated cone form. A heat-
shrinkable film F covers the whole body of the vessel
1.
In a heat-shrinkable film package shown in Fig.
9, a male screw 13 is formed at the open portion of a
cylindrical heat-resisting glass-made vessel main body
2 and a vessel 1 is constructed such that a metal-made
lid 3 having formed a female screw 14 screwing with the
male screw 13 is mounted on the vessel via a sealing
packing 4 and a sealing sheet 6. A heat-shrinkable
film F covers the whole body of the vessel 1.
In a heat-shrinkable film package shown in Fig.
10, the vessel main body 2 is composed of a glass jar,
and as the case of the embodiment of Fig. 9, a male
screw 13 is formed at the open portion of the vessel
and the vessel is constructed such that a lid 3 having
formed a female screw 14 screwing with the male screw
13 is mounted on the vessel via a packing 4. A tightly
sealing sheet 6 is not used, and also the pressure of
the inside of the vessel is not reduced, and a heat-
shrinkable film F covers the whole body of the vessel
1.
In a heat-shrinkable film package shown in Fig.
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CA 02346692 2001-04-06
11, parallel linear sewing machine stitches 15, 15 are
formed lengthwise and breadthwise to a heat-shrinkable
film F covering the outer side of the vessel, and by
breaking the heat-shrinkable film F via the sewing
machine stitches 15, 15, the package can be easily
opened. These sewing machine stitches 15, 15 are
formed avoiding the portion of covering a gas non-
permeable sheet 8 with the heat-shrinkable film F so
that the sealing property of the vessel 1 is not
hindered by the heat-shrinkable film F. It is
preferable that the sewing machine stitches 15, 15, are
formed avoiding all the portion of covering the lid 3.
The heat-shrinkable film package of the invention
described above is for containing groceries but the
package can be effectively used for, in addition to
groceries, powders, chemicals, etc., which are liable
to be deteriorated by humidity and the occurrence of
quality change after opening the seal i's delayed and
they can be also stored for a long period of time.
As described above, according to the invention,
by covering at least the whole lid with the heat-
shrinkable film before opening the seal of the vessel,
contained groceries, etc., can be stored for a long
period of time. Furthermore, because, as the structure
of the vessel, openings) are formed to the lid and a
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CA 02346692 2001-04-06
gas non-permeable sheet having formed air vents at the
places of off set from the openings) is placed on the
outer surface of the lid closely stuck thereto such
that the sheet covers the above-described opening(s),
when a sucking means is placed on the outer side of the
gas non-permeable sheet and sucking is carried out, air
in the inside of the vessel is sucked out from the
openings) of the lid through the air vents of the gas
non-permeable sheet, active oxygen in the inside is
reduced and a reduced pressure state of the vessel is
maintained, whereby rotting by oxidation of the
contained groceries, etc., is delayed, also the growth,
etc., of bacteria are restrained, and the contained
groceries, etc., can be stably stored for a long period
of time.
Also, because in the invention, after opening the
seal, the contained groceries, etc., can be stored for
a long period of time, the amount of wastes such as
groceries, etc., by rotting is reduced and the empty
vessel after consuming the contained groceries, etc.,
can be re-utilized as a vessel for storing for a long
period of time. Also, the empty vessel can be re-
utilized as a specific cooking vessel. Accordingly, in
the invention, the amount of waste materials is wholly
reduced and the disposal cost by self-governing bodies
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CA 02346692 2001-04-06
can be reduced.
Industrial Applicability
The vessel of the heat-shrinkable film package of
the invention can be utilized as a vessel for storing
groceries, medical supplies, etc., for a long period of
time and/or as a cooking vessel for foods. Also, the
invention can reduce the amount of waste materials and
can contribute to the environmental preservation of the
earth.
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