Skin pack as well as method and sealing station for manufacturing a skin pack

Abstract

A packaging known as a skin pack comprising a base and a top film surrounding a product. The top film may be a skin film and the base and the top film may be sealed together in a gas-tight manner along a circumferential sealing region. The base and the top film may extend in one or more edge regions outside the sealing region. In one embodiment, this extension creates an area of overlap outside the sealing region wherein the top film and the base are not sealed together, which may form a tear-open corner. The base may have a deformation or may be formed along an edge or at a corner so as to facilitate gripping the top film by a user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A skin pack comprising:
 a base and a top film;   wherein the top film is a skin film;   wherein the base and the top film are sealed together in a gas-tight manner along a circumferential sealing region; and   wherein the base and the top film extend in one or more edge regions disposed outside the sealing region, wherein the base and the top film and are not sealed together in the one or more edge regions.   
     
     
         2 . The skin pack according to  claim 1 , wherein the sealing region comprises a sealing seam. 
     
     
         3 . The skin pack according to  claim 1 , wherein the base in the edge region has an offset, and wherein the top film spans over the offset in order to facilitate gripping of the top film and opening of the skin pack by pulling off the top film. 
     
     
         4 . The skin pack according to  claim 1 , wherein the base is a tray that is a thermoformed bottom film. 
     
     
         5 . The skin pack according to  claim 1 , wherein the circumferential sealing region has a discrete angulation adjacent to the tear-open corner. 
     
     
         6 . A method for manufacturing a skin pack, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a base in a sealing tool lower part;   placing a product on the base;   feeding a top film above the product and the base, wherein the top film is a skin film;   pressing together a first frame of a sealing tool upper part and a second frame of a sealing tool lower part to close a sealing tool chamber, wherein the sealing tool chamber is closed gas-tightly;   clamping the top film and the base circumferentially between the first and second frames wherein an inner section of the top film and an inner section of the base are disposed inside the sealing tool chamber and an outer section of the top film and an outer section of the base are disposed outside the sealing tool chamber;   sucking the inner section of the top film into a dome of the sealing tool upper part by forming a vacuum in a region between the dome and the top film;   heating the inner section of the top film;   forming a vacuum in a space between the top film and the base;   establishing an atmospheric pressure between one of the dome or the sealing tool upper part and the top film to move the top film such that it lies on the base and the product positioned thereon; and   clamping the top film and the base in an edge region of the skin pack outside a sealing region between the first frame of the sealing tool upper part and the second frame of the sealing tool lower part when the sealing tool chamber is closed, so that this edge region of the top film and the base is neither deformed by a pressure difference nor an application of heat so that the top film and the base are not sealed together in the edge region of the skin pack outside the sealing region.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the base is a tray and the product is placed into the tray. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 6 , further comprising the step of pressing down a sealing plate on an edge support of the sealing tool lower part and the top film and base located thereon to form a sealing seam. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the sucking the inner section of the top film into a dome of the sealing tool upper part step and the establishing an atmospheric pressure between the dome or the sealing tool upper part and the top film step occurs through one or more air channels in the dome of the sealing tool upper part. 
     
     
         10 . A sealing station for manufacturing a skin pack, the sealing station comprising:
 a sealing tool upper part with a first frame and a concave dome comprising one or more air channels;   a sealing tool lower part with a second frame and a base holder;   wherein at least one of the sealing tool upper part and the sealing tool lower part is height-adjustably mounted to be brought closer to each other and to contact each other on their first and second frames and to thereby form a gas-tight sealing tool chamber; and   wherein the sealing station is operable to connect a base to a top film in a gas-tight manner by forming a sealing region, wherein the top film is a skin film; and   wherein the first frame of the sealing tool upper part and the second frame of the sealing tool lower part clamp a section of the base and a section of the top film so that they are excluded from heating and deformation during the sealing process.   
     
     
         11 . The sealing station according to  claim 10 , further comprising a height-adjustable sealing plate, the sealing plate comprising a sealing surface which is suitable for connecting a base to a top film in a gas-tight manner by forming a sealing seam. 
     
     
         12 . The sealing station according to  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first frame of the sealing tool upper part and the second frame of the sealing tool lower part is formed at least in sections from one of a plastic or a ceramic material. 
     
     
         13 . The sealing station according to  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first frame of the sealing tool upper part and the second frame of the sealing tool lower part is cooled by water-cooling channels running in the at least one of the first frame of the sealing tool upper part and the second frame of the sealing tool lower part. 
     
     
         14 . The sealing station according to  claim 10 , wherein the second frame of the sealing tool lower part has a recess that accommodates an offset of the base in order not to deform the offset when the base and the top film are clamped between the first frame and the second frame. 
     
     
         15 . The sealing station according to  claim 10 , wherein the sealing tool lower part is at least partially replaceable in order to receive one of a plurality of bases, wherein each of the plurality of bases has a different shape, and wherein at least one of the plurality of bases has a tray shape.