|Publication number||US7097358 B2|
|Application number||US 10/107,694|
|Publication date||Aug 29, 2006|
|Filing date||Mar 27, 2002|
|Priority date||Mar 27, 2002|
|Also published as||CA2481234A1, CN1655995A, EP1487708A1, EP1487708A4, US8092088, US20030185468, US20070047850, WO2003082693A1|
|Publication number||10107694, 107694, US 7097358 B2, US 7097358B2, US-B2-7097358, US7097358 B2, US7097358B2|
|Inventors||David W. Keith, Paul F. Edelman|
|Original Assignee||Illinois Tool Works, Inc.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (35), Referenced by (9), Classifications (19), Legal Events (9)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
The present invention pertains to flexible reclosable containers and in particular to flexible reclosable containers with sliders and tear off header strips. The present invention also pertains to other containers, including containers sold to consumers in the empty state, as well as containers sold to consumers after being formed, filled, and sealed with a product contained therein.
Flexible recloseable containers are provided in some applications where a plurality of containers are mounted together in such a way that the containers are separated from one another as they are used. Examples of this include containers provided in a supermarket for use by a store employee in the meat department. As the employee receives an order for food, a container is separated from the group of containers, and filled with the product to be sold.
It is important in such a retail situation to minimize the time required by the employee to serve the customer. Therefore, bags that are provided to the employee in an upside-down orientation require wasted effort on the part of the employee to reorient the bag. Further, containers that are provided in the closed state must be opened prior to the insertion of the goods. This further wastes the time of the employee.
What is needed is a flexible recloseable container that overcomes these problems. The present invention does this in a novel and unobvious way.
The present invention relates to flexible recloseable containers, especially those containers which are grouped together and separated singularly from the group.
In one aspect of the present invention, each container includes a header sheet extending from one edge of the container, the header sheet including a line of weakness to facilitate a tearing separation.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a header sheet including a line of weakness extends from the top of the bag, the bottom of the bag, or one of the sides of the bag.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the container includes a pair of fastener strips which can be repeatedly interlocked and unlocked to open and close, respectively, the mouth of the bag.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the fastener profiles include a slider element for ease of interlocking and unlocking. Preferably, the bags are grouped with the sliders positioned so that the mouth of the container is at least partially open.
Yet another aspect of the present invention concerns a method for fabrication of a flexible reclosable container having a header strip.
These and other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the drawings, description of preferred embodiments, and the claims to follow.
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated devices, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
The present invention relates to improvements in flexible reclosable containers, particularly containers which include a header strip for convenient mounting of the container until it is used, and further including a slider for convenient closing of the container while it is used. The header strip is preferably a single-ply flexible material which extends from the mouth of the container. Preferably, the container or the header strip includes a line of weakness, such as by mechanical perforation or laser scoring, to enable a user to easily separate the container from the header strip. In some embodiments, the header strip includes one or more holes through which the header strip and container assembly can be hung from a stand.
In another embodiment, the header strip extends from the mouth of the bag. Further, the mouth of the bag preferably includes a fastener strip along each of the edges of the mouth, each of the fastener strips including an interlockable profile element. A slider is mounted to the fastener strips for easy interlocking and unlocking of the profile elements.
Preferably, the slider and profile elements are arranged and configured such that the mouth of the bag is substantially open. In this manner, it is most convenient for a user of the bag to place his or her hand between the fastener strips and into the bag, tear the bag off of the header strip, and hold the bag for subsequent filling of the container with a product.
As one example, the bag is particularly useful in situations such as a deli counter in a food store, where the store employee uses one hand to tear off the bag from the header strip, and uses the other hand to place a deli counter product in the container with the other hand. This particular arrangement of the header strip extending from an open mouth, preferably with a slider, reduces the motion and time of the store employee to fill the customer's order.
Container 20 comprises first and second sidewalls 22 and 24, respectively, which may be made from any suitable thermoplastic film such as, for example, low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, or similar materials. Sidewalls 22 and 24 include first left transverse side seal 28 and second right transverse side seal 30. Seals 28 and 30 can be formed by any method, including ultrasonic welding and heat fusion methods. Container 20 also includes a 20 bottom edge 26 generally opposite a pair of interlocking fastener strips 32 and 34. Bottom edge 26 may include a fold between sidewalls 22 and 24, or alternatively edge 26 may include a seal between sidewalls 22 and 24.
In some embodiments of the present invention profiles 50 and 52 are comprised of at least one uppermost and bottommost profile elements. Preferably, one profile element terminates in a shape that can be securely grasped by a complementary-shaped profile element coupled to the opposing sidewall. Referring to
Some embodiments of the present invention further include a docking station 39 located near endstop 38 and or endstop 36. The docking station provides a location which accommodates the separator element of a slider, and relieves the forces from the separator which would otherwise tend to separate the fastener strips. As one example, the docking station may be formed by placement of the slider adjacent to a heat-fused endstop before the endstop cools. In yet other embodiments, the docking station may be one of a vertical slit, horizontal slit, notch, or window placed in the fastener strips near the corner seals. Additional examples of flexible recloseable containers contemplated by the present invention can be found in U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/330,140, filed Oct. 17, 2001, entitled SLIDERS FOR RECLOSABLE CONTAINERS, incorporated herein by reference.
In one embodiment of the present invention, container 20 does not include a tamper evident seal. However, in some embodiments of the present invention, container 20 includes a tamper-evident seal between sidewalls 22 and 24. This seal may be an extension of flanges 46 and 44 that extends internally across the opening of container 20. However, the present invention contemplates other configurations of tamper evident seal, including external seals that cover portions of the fastener profiles and slider. The seal may be integrally molded with flanges 44 and 46, or may be attached separately. Further, the seal may be integrally molded with sidewalls 22 and 24 or attached separately. The broken or unbroken state of the seal provides evidence to the user of whether or not the container has been previously opened. A tamper evident seal is especially useful with a form, fill, and seal machine that inserts an edible product into container 20. Further examples of tamper evident seals can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,763, issued Jul. 10, 2001, and incorporated herein by reference. Yet other forms of laser-scored tamper evident elements are contemplated by the present invention and can be found in U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/314,787, filed Aug. 24, 2001, entitled SCORED TAMPER EVIDENT ZIPPER SLIDER, and incorporated herein by reference.
Preferably, a tear line or line of weakness 72 is created along the length of header strip 70 in a direction generally parallel to the edge of mouth 23. This line of weakness can be located along header strip 70 anywhere from hole 74 of header strip 70, to the location where container sidewall 24 is fused to fastener strip 34. The line of weakness 72 can be implemented in any manner, including mechanical scoring or perforation, laser scoring, or any other method.
After installing line of weakness 72, a folding device folds back a portion 70. This configuration of sheet 21 then enters a fastener attachment machine where a fastener strip is attached along free edge 72, and a second fastener strip is applied proximate to line of weakness 72. Following application of the fastener to sheet 21, slider endstops 40 and 42 are formed, sealed side edges 28 and 23 are formed, and slider 48 is attached to the interlockable fastener strips. However, the present invention can be fabricated using a different sequence of processing. For example, line of weakness 72 can be incorporated after attachment of the fastener strips. Further, slider 48 can be attached to the fastener strips prior to their attachment to sheet 21.
Preferably following attachment of the slider and fastener strips, the folded portion 70 of sheet 21 is folded back out to facilitate the punching of one or more holes 74. In some embodiments, multiple containers 20 are attached together by fusing together adjacent portions of header strips 70. The plurality 81 of fused together containers 20 can then be hung from a wicket 82. Preferably, each slider of a container is placed in a position such that the mouth of the container is substantially open. By having the mouth open, it is convenient for a user to place his or her fingers within the container, tear the container from the wicket along the tear line, and since the container is substantially open, readily place an object in the container.
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.
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|U.S. Classification||383/37, 383/13, 383/9, 383/64|
|International Classification||B65D33/00, B65D33/14, B65D33/16, B65D65/28, B65D30/00, B65D33/25, B65D77/30, B65D33/10, B65D33/06|
|Cooperative Classification||B65D33/007, B65D33/14, B65D33/2591|
|European Classification||B65D33/14, B65D33/00G, B65D33/25C|
|Mar 27, 2002||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: PLIANT CORPORATION, ILLINOIS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:KEITH, DAVID W.;EDELMAN, PAUL F.;REEL/FRAME:012746/0489
Effective date: 20020322
|May 28, 2003||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY, ILLINOIS
Free format text: SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNORS:PLIANT CORPORATION;PLIANT SOLUTIONS CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:014201/0128
Effective date: 20030527
|Jun 26, 2003||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, DELAWARE
Free format text: SECOND PRIORITY SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNOR:PLIANT CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:014215/0001
Effective date: 20030530
|Jun 8, 2005||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC., ILLINOIS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:PLIANT CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:016107/0204
Effective date: 20050413
|Jan 15, 2010||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: PLIANT CORPORATION, ILLINOIS
Free format text: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY;ASSIGNOR:WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY;REEL/FRAME:023792/0577
Effective date: 20100112
|Mar 1, 2010||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|Apr 11, 2014||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|Aug 29, 2014||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|Oct 21, 2014||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 20140829