Packages with individually sealed compartments

Abstract

A package having a plurality of individually sealed compartments is described. Each compartment contains a food product in an interior defined between a back panel sealed to a front panel about the interior. The front panel includes a flap detachable from adjacent portions of the front panel along a flap line of weakness to form an access opening configured to permit removal of the food product from the interior of the compartment.

1 . A package comprising a plurality of individually sealed compartments, each of the compartments containing a food product in an interior defined between a back panel sealed to a front panel about the interior, the front panel including a flap at least partially detachable from adjacent portions of the compartment along a flap line of weakness to form an access opening configured to permit removal of the food product from the interior of the compartment. 
     
     
         2 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the flap line of weakness has first and second spaced ends intersecting a free edge portion of the package about which the flap is configured to pivot to form the access opening, the flap line of weakness extending from the first and second ends thereof toward an opposite edge portion of the package. 
     
     
         3 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the package is formed from a single sheet of flexible film. 
     
     
         4 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the front panel and the back panel of each of the compartments are made of identical materials. 
     
     
         5 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the package is formed from one or more sheets of undeformed flexible film. 
     
     
         6 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein each of the compartments is completely detachable from the package along at least one compartment line of weakness extending between the compartments. 
     
     
         7 . The package of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one compartment line of weakness extends between two adjacent compartments, a first of the two adjacent compartments including a first seal extending in a direction along the compartment line of weakness, a second of the two adjacent compartments including a second seal extending in a direction along the compartment line of weakness, the first and second seals being on opposite sides of the at least one compartment line of weakness. 
     
     
         8 . The package of  claim 2 , wherein the flap is defined by the flap line of weakness and the free edge portion of the package. 
     
     
         9 . The package of  claim 2 , wherein the back panel and the front panel of each of the compartments are non-detachably sealed to each other along the opposite edge portion of the package and along first and second sides of the compartment extending perpendicular to the free edge portion and the opposite edge portion. 
     
     
         10 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the flap includes four sides and the flap line of weakness extends along three of the sides of the flap. 
     
     
         11 . The package of  claim 2 , wherein first and second portions of the flap line of weakness extending from the first and second ends thereof toward the opposite edge portion of the package are parallel to each other and interconnected by a third portion of the flap line of weakness perpendicular to the first and second portions of the flap line of weakness. 
     
     
         12 . The package of  claim 11 , wherein the third portion of the flap line of weakness is closer to a top end portion of the compartment formed by attachment of the front panel and the back panel to each other than to a bottom end portion of the compartment formed by intersection of the front and back panels at the free edge portion of the package. 
     
     
         13 . The package of  claim 2 , wherein the food product is a plurality of gum pieces, each of the gum pieces being contained in the interior of a respective one of the plurality of individually sealed compartments such that each of the gum pieces is positioned between the flap line of weakness of the respective one of the individually sealed compartments and the free edge portion of the package. 
     
     
         14 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the flap is non-detachable from the bottom of the compartment. 
     
     
         15 . A method of manufacturing the package of  claim 1 , the method comprising:
 providing a flexible material having first and second longitudinal edges;   forming a plurality of U-shaped lines of weakness in the flexible film between the first and second longitudinal edges and a longitudinal center line;   depositing portions of the food product on the flexible material on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line and at least in part between the U-shaped lines of weakness;   folding the first and second longitudinal edges of the flexible material in a direction toward the longitudinal center line to overlay the food product;   forming seals between overlying portions of the flexible film to form the plurality of individually sealed compartments, each of the compartments including the food product; and   forming a longitudinal line of weakness coinciding with the longitudinal center line and a plurality of transverse lines of weakness extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal line of weakness, each of the transverse lines of weakness extending between adjacent compartments to permit separation of the adjacent compartments from each other.   
     
     
         16 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the flap line of weakness including at least two free ends. 
     
     
         17 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the flap line of weakness extends across portions of the flap overlying the food product contained in the interior of the compartment. 
     
     
         18 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the flap line of weakness includes at least two lines that intersect one another. 
     
     
         19 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the compartments further include a second flap partially detachable from adjacent portions of the back panel along a second flap line of weakness. 
     
     
         20 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the package being movable from a folded configuration where at least one of the compartments is nested between two other compartments to an unfolded configuration where the at least one of the compartments is not nested between the two other compartments. 
     
     
         21 . The package of  claim 20 , wherein at least two of the compartments are nested between two other compartments in the unfolded configuration. 
     
     
         22 . The package of  claim 21 , wherein the flap of the at least one compartment faces in a first direction and the flap of each of the two other compartments between which the at least one compartment is nested in the unfolded configuration face in a second direction opposite to the first direction. 
     
     
         23 . The package of  claim 20 , wherein a first portion of the package including a free end of the package forms a closure flap removably attached by an adhesive to a second portion of the package. 
     
     
         24 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the package being movable from a folded configuration where at least one of the compartments is positioned in a closed configuration above another of the compartments to an open configuration where the at least one of the compartments is not positioned above the another of the compartments. 
     
     
         25 . The package of  claim 24 , wherein at least two of the compartments are stacked above two other compartments in the open configuration. 
     
     
         26 . The package of  claim 24 , wherein two of the flaps of two of the compartments face in a first direction and two of the flaps of two other compartments above which the two of the compartments are stacked in the open configuration face in a second direction opposite to the first direction. 
     
     
         27 . The package of  claim 24 , wherein a first portion of the package including a free end of the package forms a closure flap removably attached by an adhesive to a second portion of the package. 
     
     
         28 . The package of  claim 24 , wherein the at least one of the compartments is positioned in the closed configuration above another of the compartments by at least one of rolling, folding, and stacking.