Process for packaging meat products and article produced thereby

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PACKAGING A BODY OF FLACCID MEAT MATERIAL HAVING EASILY DEFORMABLE PARTS WHICH COMPRISES SHAPING A THIN FLAT RELATIVELY DIFFICULTY DEFORMABLE SHEETFORM BASE ELEMENT IN A FORM SIMILAR TO A LONGITUDINAL CROSS-SECTION OF THE MATERIAL TO BE PACKAGED; SAID BASE ELEMENT BEING PROVIDED WITH SHAPED PARTS FOR SUPPORTING AND RETAINING SAID EASILY DEFORMABLE PARTS SAID MATERIAL FROM EDGEWISE DEFORMATION ON TWO SIDES AND FROM SIDEWISE DEFORMATION ON ONLY ONE SIDE; ASSEMBLING THE BODY OF MEAT MATERIAL ON SAID BASE ELEMENT WITH ITS SAID EASILY DEFORMABLE PARTS LAID OUT ON ONLY ONE SIDE OF SAID SHAPED PARTS OF THE BASE ELEMENT; ENCLOSING THE MATERIAL AND BASE ELEMENT THUS ASSEMBLED IN AN ENVELOPE OF A THIN PLIABLE IMPERFORATE SHEETED WRAPPING MATERIAL OF THE KIND WHICH SHRINKS WHEN HEATED; REDUCING THE PRESSURE OF AIR IN SAID ENCLOSURE: SAID REDUCTION OF PRESSURE BEING SUFFICIENT TO COLLAPSE THE WRAPPING AND CAVITIES WITHIN THE MEAT, COMPRESS THE MEAT INTO CONFORMITY WITH A CONTACTING FLAT SURFACE OF THE BASE MEMBER, REMOVE AIR POCKETS BETWEEN SAID WRAPPING AND SAID MATERIAL, AND TO EFFECT CLOSURE OF EXTERNAL OPENINGS OF ANY ERSTWHILE INTERNAL CAVITIES IN SAID MATERIAL WHEN SAID WRAPPING IS SHRUNK; CLOSING THE WRAPPING TO RETAIN SAID REDUCED PRESSURE; AND THEN APPLYING HEAT TO THE MATERIAL AT A TEMPERATURE WHICH IS SUFFICIENT TO SHRINK THE WRAPPING UNTIL IT IS TIGHTLY AND SMOOTHLY DRAWN AROUND AND IN CONTACT WITH ALL EXPOSED SURFACES OF SAID MEAT MATERIAL AND THE EXPOSED SURFACE AND EDGES OF SAID BASE ELEMENT.