Anti-leak meat pack, food packaging tray therefore, and associated methods

Abstract

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)