STACKING SNACKS

Create inventions to enable the stacking of snack products for efficient packaging, transportation, and breakage reduction. Irregularly shaped and fragile snack products, such as potato chips, are generally packed randomly in flexible bags filled with gas; however, such packaging solutions have a number of drawbacks, including the tendency of fragile snack products to settle during shipping and handling, leading to breakage, and problems arising due to the presence of excess air and moisture in the bags, resulting from the increased void space. These drawbacks negatively affect consumer perception and experience.

Products which are compact and stackable are highly efficient for packaging, transportation, and storage (e.g. crackers, cookies, or fabricated snacks); accordingly, technologies are needed which allow for the compacting and stacking of cooked snack products such as potato chips.

Client seeks inventions that will improve the process of descrambling, reorienting, aligning, compacting, and stacking of fragile cooked snacks for efficient packaging and transportation, as well as breakage reduction.

Keywords: Snack products, potato chips, breakage, fragile, irregular shape, inconsistent sizes, efficient packaging, compaction, stacking transportation.