초록 ▼

A sealed package's transmission of oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, or other gas or vapor that is of interest because of its potential adverse effects on the package contents is determined indirectly, based upon the package's transmission of a different gas selected as a test gas. Helium is pref

A sealed package's transmission of oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, or other gas or vapor that is of interest because of its potential adverse effects on the package contents is determined indirectly, based upon the package's transmission of a different gas selected as a test gas. Helium is preferred as a test gas. The package's total transmission of the test gas is separated into its components of leakage through the package seals and permeation through the packaging material itself. The package's leakage of the gas of interest is determined based on its leakage of the test gas, in accordance with the molecular weights of the gases. The package's permeation of the gas of interest is determined based on its permeation of the test gas, in accordance with data correlating the permeation of the gas of interest and permeation of the test gas for the materials from which the package is made, and with package structure data relating to the size, shape, and disposition of the materials from which the package is made. The package's total transmission of the gas of interest is determined by adding its leakage and permeation components so determined. Such data may be used with other data to determine a packaged product's shelf life or its sensitivity to a gas of interest.

대표청구항 ▼

A sealed package's transmission of oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, or other gas or vapor that is of interest because of its potential adverse effects on the package contents is determined indirectly, based upon the package's transmission of a different gas selected as a test gas. Helium is pref

A sealed package's transmission of oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, or other gas or vapor that is of interest because of its potential adverse effects on the package contents is determined indirectly, based upon the package's transmission of a different gas selected as a test gas. Helium is preferred as a test gas. The package's total transmission of the test gas is separated into its components of leakage through the package seals and permeation through the packaging material itself. The package's leakage of the gas of interest is determined based on its leakage of the test gas, in accordance with the molecular weights of the gases. The package's permeation of the gas of interest is determined based on its permeation of the test gas, in accordance with data correlating the permeation of the gas of interest and permeation of the test gas for the materials from which the package is made, and with package structure data relating to the size, shape, and disposition of the materials from which the package is made. The package's total transmission of the gas of interest is determined by adding its leakage and permeation components so determined. Such data may be used with other data to determine a packaged product's shelf life or its sensitivity to a gas of interest. laser beam. 7. The method according to claim 5, wherein said cutting device is a water jet cutter and where said width k equals the width of the water jet. 8. A method for bending a plurality of opposing sections of sheet metal of thickness T about a corresponding plurality of interposed bending lines to form a 3-dimensional folded structure, said method comprising the steps of: forming a plurality of elongated slots of length a and width b within said metal along said bending line, said elongated slots having at least one edge of major length that is generally parallel to said bending line, said slots being separated by a distance c along said bending line, said slots being formed by a cutting device of width `k`; and bending said two opposing sections of metal sheet about said bending line, said plurality of slots encouraging said bending to occur along said bending line, wherein a is not less than c but not greater than 30 times c, b is not less than k but not greater than 2 times T, c is not less than T/2 but not greater 3 times T, wherein said bending line is selected from a group comprising the following: a straight line, a line curved in one direction, a line curved in two directions and having at least one S-shaped line segment, an irregular curved line, and a combination of straight and curved lines, and wherein said plurality of said bending lines is selected from a group comprising the following: a configuration of parallel spaced lines, a configuration of non-parallel spaced lines, a configuration of lines that meet at one vertex, a configuration of lines that meet at a plurality of vertices that define a tiling pattern, a configuration of lines that meet at a plurality of vertices that fold into a polyhedron, and a configuration of lines that fold into an origami figure. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said cutting device is a laser cutter and where width k equals the width of the laser beam. 10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said cutting device is a water jet cutter and where said width k equals the width of the water jet. 11. The method according to claim 8, wherein angles between two said opposing sections of said sheet metal are convex. 12. The method according to claim 8, wherein angles between two said opposing sections