ANTI-LEAK MEAT PACK, FOOD PACKAGING TRAY THEREFORE, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS
The anti-leak meat pack can include a food packaging tray, meat on the tray, a film covering the meat, wrapped around the tray, and sealed against an outward-facing surface all around the tray, an anti-leak seal thereby being formed surrounding the meat.
1 . An anti-leak meat pack comprising a tray having an outward-facing rim surface at the upper end thereof, meat laying on the tray, and a film covering the meat, wrapped around the tray, and sealed against the outward-facing surface all around the tray, an anti-leak seal thereby being formed surrounding the meat.
2 . The anti-leak meat pack of claim 1 wherein the anti-leak seal comprises an adhesive covering the outward-facing surface all around the tray, the film being adhered to the tray by the adhesive.
3 . The anti-leak meat pack of claim 2 wherein the adhesive is a heat-activated adhesive.
4 . The anti-leak meat pack of claim 1 wherein the anti-leak seal comprises a gap-filling wax covering the outward-facing rim surface all around the tray.
5 . The anti-leak meat pack of claim 1 wherein the outward-facing surface protrudes laterally from the tray.
6 . The anti-leak meat pack of claim 1 wherein the tray has a recessed bottom and a border surrounding the recessed bottom and extending both upwardly and outwardly therefrom, the border having the outward-facing surface in the form of a rim, and wherein the meat lies on the recessed bottom.
7 . The anti-leak meat pack of claim 6 wherein the recessed bottom is flat, offset and parallel to the outward-facing rim, and wherein the outward-facing surface is oriented generally perpendicularly to the recessed bottom of the tray.
8 . (canceled)
9 . (canceled)
10 . The anti-leak meat pack of claim 1 wherein the outward-facing surface is generally flat.
11 . The anti-leak meat pack of claim 10 wherein the outward-facing surface is adjacent an upward facing flat surface of the tray.
12 . The anti-leak meat pack of claim 11 wherein the outward-facing surface has a rounded upper edge.
13 . The anti-leak meat pack of claim 1 wherein the tray is rectangular and has rounded corners.
14 . (canceled)
15 . The anti-leak meat pack of claim 1 wherein the meat protrudes upwardly from the tray.
16 . A method of packaging food, the method comprising
placing the food in a tray having outward-facing surface;
wrapping a film over the food and around the tray, the film thence covering the outward-facing surface all around the tray;
sealing the film against the outward-facing rim surface.
17 . The method of claim 16 wherein the tray has an adhesive covering the outward-facing surface, wherein the step of sealing comprises activating the adhesive, thereby forming an anti-leak seal around the food, between the film and the tray.
18 . The method of claim 17 wherein the step of activating includes activating the adhesive with heat.
19 . The method of claim 18 wherein the step of activating includes subjecting the wrapped food and tray to heat for a given period of time.
20 . The method of claim 16 wherein during the step of wrapping, the food protrudes upwardly from the tray and the film is stretched between the food and the outward-facing surface of the tray.
21 . A food packaging tray comprising a tray body having an outward-facing surface, and one of an adhesive and a wax covering the entire periphery of the outward-facing surface of the tray body.
22 . The food packaging tray of claim 21 wherein the outward-facing surface protrudes laterally from the tray.
23 . The food packaging tray of claim 21 wherein the one of an adhesive and a wax is a heat activable adhesive.
24 . (canceled)
25 . The food packaging tray of claim 21 wherein the tray is generally rectangular in shape with sides having between 3 inches and 24 inches in length, and having rounded corners, and having a recessed bottom and a border equally and entirely surrounding the recessed bottom and extending both upwardly and outwardly therefrom, the border having the outward facing surface and the rounded corners.
26 . The food packaging tray of claim 25 wherein the recessed bottom is flat, offset and parallel to the outward-facing surface, and the outward-facing surface is substantially flat and oriented perpendicularly to the recessed bottom of the tray.
27 . (canceled)
28 . (canceled)
29 . (canceled)
30 . The food packaging tray of claim 21 wherein the outward-facing surface is adjacent an upward-facing flat surface and the outward-facing surface has a rounded upper edge.
31 - 36 . (canceled)