There is disclosed packaging for edible product comprising a base component and a separate lid component. The base component is formed from a folded blank and has an opening which provides access to a hollow interior for storing edible product. The lid component is bonded to the base component so as to close the opening and inhibit access to the interior. The lid component comprises an access panel which can be moved with respect to the base component to open the packaging and provide access to the interior through the opening. There is also disclosed a method for manufacturing a packaged product.

By swinging a collating chute supplied with items, the items are held in a plurality of holding cells formed in a holding array. After all of the holding cells are filled with the items, a diving funnel array is moved downward to a position so as to contact the upper surface of a container. Then, discharge gates of the holding array are opened to discharge the items from the holding cells into a plurality of pockets formed in the container.

A method for wrapping hygroscopic products includes feeding a succession of products and wrapping each product in wrapping material to define a wrapper for the product, The wrapping includes 1) folding a sheet of wrapping material into a U-shape around a respective product and sealing to each other at least two edges of the sheet of wrapping material along a first, longitudinal sealing line defining a tubular body in which the product is disposed and having a first and a second open end; 2) sealing two portions of the tubular body along second and third sealing lines transverse to the first longitudinal sealing line, thereby enclosing the product in the wrapper; and 3) creating a vacuum in the tubular body before the sealing the portions of the tubular body along at least one between the second and the third sealing lines.

A device for wrapping product wrappers including a winder, the winder including a gripper mechanically connected to a tubular shaft rotatable about and translatable along an approach axis, the gripper being rotatable and translatable integrally with the tubular shaft; an actuating rod active on the gripper and movable along an actuating axis, the actuating rod being movable along the actuating axis with respect to the tubular shaft and rotationally constrained to the tubular shaft, wherein the gripper is rotatable and movable following a translation of the actuating rod along the actuating axis; a first electric motor active on the actuating rod to translate the actuating rod along the actuating axis; and a second electric motor active on the tubular shaft to translate the tubular shaft along the approach axis. The device further includes a control unit configured to drive the first electric motor and the second electric motor.

A reclosable hard shell transparent container for a confectionary product includes an inner graphic branding element extending interior to the receptacle, an outer graphic branding element extending exterior to the receptacle, and overwrap layer that collectively provide visually superimposed branding graphics to provide visually distinct packages utilizing the same container. The inner graphic layer facilitates a subassembly of the confectionary products for ease of loading the confectionary product in the container.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for infusing a product component, comprising the steps of: placing the product component into a container; positioning into the product component an expansion agent, the expansion agent comprising at least one of a liquid form and a solid form; pressure sealing the container; forming, through a phase change of the expansion agent, gas bubbles of the expansion agent in the product component; and forming a gas phase propellant of the expansion agent in the container, where the product component is permeated with the expansion agent, such as where the product component is a cream, fat, dairy product, and/or milk substitute.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for packaging a dispensable substance, including the steps of: placing a first product component into a container; adding a second product component into the container at an initial pressure of less than 1.31 atm, the container comprising a valve dispensing port; sealing the container; and increasing pressure in the container through a phase change of the second product component to a final pressure in the container, the final pressure at least 0.26 atm greater than the initial pressure. Optionally, the second product component warms in the container at least ten degrees Celsius and undergoes a phase change from a solid or liquid to a gas, which increases pressure in the container and functions as a propellant and/or as an expansion agent.

The invention comprises a method for packaging a dispensable substance, such as a food product, whipped cream, a hydrocarbon, or an air freshener, the method comprising the steps of: placing a first product component into a container, the container comprising a valve dispensing port; adding a second product component into the container, the second product component comprising at least one of: (1) a solid form of the second product component and (2) a liquid form of the second product component; sealing the container; and warming, after the step of sealing, the second product component in the container at least ten degrees Celsius, where the step of warming results in a phase change of all of the second product component into a gas phase, at least a portion of the gas phase of the second product component dissolving into the first product component to form the dispensable substance.

A squeezable, flexible tubular package for an edible product is compartmented to simultaneously hold a first edible product in one compartment separate from a second edible product in another juxtaposed compartment. The package includes an elongated enclosure defined by a pair of transparent, flexible film strips bonded to one another around the periphery thereof by a liquid tight seal; and a membrane situated between the film strips, bonded to the periphery of the film strips by a liquid tight seal, partitioning the enclosure into a pair of juxtaposed, liquid tight compartments. An extrudable, edible product is separately contained in each of the compartments. Apparatus for continuously and successively forming, filling and sealing articulated arrays of such packaged products is also disclosed.

A container for storing a plurality of food items having a base portion with a peripheral edge at a base peripheral edge plane. The base portion can include a plurality of cavities with each cavity having an interior wall surface extending up a first axis from a cavity base wall. At least a first portion of the interior wall surface terminates at a cavity rim formed where the first portion of the interior wall surface intersects with the peripheral edge surface, wherein an exterior cavity rim portion can be formed by the plurality of cavities. An interior support member formed within the base portion can extend up from the base portion to a first plane above the peripheral edge plane. A lid support member can extend down from the top surface of the lid portion and contact the top surface of the interior support member.