Wrapped article and method of wrapping the same

March 20, 1945.

L. D. FREIBERG

2,371,985

WRAPPED ARTICLE AND METHOD OF WRAPPING THE SAME

Filed Feb. 8, 1943

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INVENTOR.

Louib D. Freiberg ^Br

Patented Mar. 20, 1945

2,371,985

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,371,985

WRAPPED ARTICLE AND METHOD OF WRAPPING THE SAME

Louis D. Freiberg, Akron, Ohio

Application February 8,1943, Serial No. 475,188 (Cl. 206—46) wrapper together or in lapping relation to the non-adhesive surfaces of the wrapper so as to hold the wrapper snugly about the article completely enveloping it and completely sealing it 5 against the loss of moisture and at the same time excluding all but very slight quantities of air about the article which may. inevitably be entrapped.

Articles such as citrus fruits, meats, fish, fowl, game, tomatoes, grapes, etc., which are so packaged, expecially if kept refrigerated, keep substantially all of their original water content, vitamins, and palatability without desiccation, putrefaction or decay and for indefinite periods of time, 15 and do so without requiring the use of ice refrigeration. Dry refrigerants, such as dry ice, mechanical refrigeration, etc., have no appreciable dehydrating or other effect upon the contents of the packages.

Fillets of meats, fish, etc., have heretofore had ordinary sheet wrappers- of Cellophane or the like applied about them but have required ice refrigeration for their preservation. By use of the present invention, this expensive and troublesome 25 icing may be avoided, dry refrigeration being entirely satisfactory.

The packages are, of course, complete germ and vermin proof, and thus not only preserve the moisture within the article, but prevent ingress of 30 dirt and foreign matters of all kinds.

The packages, being transparent permit handling as well as visual inspection to note the weight, “feel,” color, and texture of the packaged, contents without danger of contamination..

For purposes of illustration of the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawing an orange being packaged in accordance with the present invention.

Of the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 illustrates a sheet of the material used and on the adhesive face of which has been placed an orange.

Figure 2 shows application of the wrapper about the orange with over-lapping margins adhesively 45 secured, and

Figure 3 shows the orange after the wrapper has been completely applied by crimping the projecting portions of the wrapper snugly about the orange.

in the drawing the. numeral 10 designates a sheet of the tough flexible transparent material and If, the layer of clear adhesive on one face thereof. The orange is indicated at 12.

As shown in Figure 1 the orange 12 may be ^SB placed on the adhesive coated face of sheet II.

Claims.

. This present invention relates to packaged moisture containing articles and to procedure for producing the same.

Heretofore, many articles usually purchased in grocery stores such as meat, fillets, chops, cuts, and steaks thereof, whole fish, fillets, and steaks thereof, fowl or game, whole, or joints thereof, citrus fruits, tomatoes, gr.ipes, cakes of soap and many other articles containing moisture which is present at and may evaporate from the surface 10 thereof have been provided with envelopes or wrappers of various sheet materials of the nature of waxed paper, Cellophane, Pliofilm, Koroseal and other tough, flexible transparent or translucent materials, in some cases, as in the case of Cellophane bags or envelopes, being sealed to prevent loss of moisture from the packaged article.

Sealing of such bags or envelopes necessitates the use of adhesives applied locally to the bag or envelope along flaps or margins thereof and involves manufacturer of the bag or envelop, insertion of the moisture containing article thereto, and finally sealing by the use of adhesives or adhesive tapes applied at the mouths of the bags or envelopes.

It has been discovered by the present inventor that sheet materials such as Cellophane, Pliofilm, Koroseal, etc., which are tough, flexible, and transparent and are coated with water-repellent, permanently-tacky, pressure-sensitive, clear adhesives of a known type applied over one face thereof and which materials are on the market as Scotch” tape or other trade names are capable of highly advantageous use as wrappers fcr the previously enumerated articles. While this sheet . material is strongly adhesive to itself wherever laps, crimps, or folds of the material are pressed together with at least one layer of the adhesive coating between the abutting faces of the sheet material, because of the character of the surfaces of the article such as those enumerated and the presence of more or less moisture therein, the tacky water-repellent adhesive will not adhere strongly, and in many cases will not adhere at all to surfaces of the articles against which it may be pressed, and will peel readily away from the articles when the wrappers of such material are being removed.

In carrying out the present invention, tough flexible transparent material having a clear adhesive coating of the kind described is merely wrapped and lapped in any convenient way about the article with the adhesive face against the article and projecting margins thereof are crimped or folded to bring adhesive faces of the a, which may then be snugly wrapped about the orange as indicated in Figure 2 with over-lapping margins of the sheet pressed together, and finally the projecting portions of the wrapper are crimped and pressed snugly against the surface of the orange, the folds or crimps adhering to each other.

To remove the wrapper it may be cut and readily peeled from the orange, or a thread or band (not shown) as is well-known In the art of packaging, may be incorporated in the wrapper, a projecting end of which may be grasped and pulled to sever the wrapper.

It will be apparent that the invention disclosed herein may be applied in the packaging of many different articles containing moisture present at their surfaces and of a surface texture such that the adhesive will not adhere to the surface of the article or will only slightly adhere. The invention is operable in this manner with many different articles of similar surface characteristics to those specifically mentioned.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof in the scope of the appended claims.