Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D33/00—Details of, or accessories for, sacks or bags
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D33/00—Details of, or accessories for, sacks or bags
  • B65D33/16—End- or aperture-closing arrangements or devices
  • B65D33/25—Riveting; Dovetailing; Screwing; using press buttons or slide fasteners
  • B65D33/2508—Riveting; Dovetailing; Screwing; using press buttons or slide fasteners using slide fasteners with interlocking members having a substantially uniform section throughout the length of the fastener; Sliders therefor

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to reclosable plastic packages and, more particularly, relates to a reclosable plastic package having a top gusset that expands in response to filling the package with a bulky food product such as bagels or a loaf of bread
• a bulky food product such as bagels or a loaf of bread
• the expanded top gusset allows the package to easily accommodate the bulky food product and, at the same time, provides a display area that can carry graphics for merchandising the food product in the package
• a typical reclosable package includes first and second opposing body panels joined to each other along a pair of sides and a bottom bridging the pair of sides
• a reclosable fastener extends along a package top disposed opposite the bottom The fastener is used to open and close the package top and thereby gain access to a food product contained in the package
• the package may be provided with a slider mounted to the fastener
• reclosable packages of the foregoing type are to be prepackaged with a bulky food product such as bagels or a loaf of bread
• the filled packages are typically sold in a store by laying them flat on a store shelf with one of the body panels contacting the shelf and the fastener facing outward toward the consumer
• graphics may be applied to the body panels proximate the fastener
• a drawback of such packages is that the fastener divides the graphics and thereby limits their effectiveness in merchandising the food product
• when the food product is bulky
• an object of the present invention is to provide a reclosable plastic package that allows the package to easily accommodate a bulky food product and, at the same time, provides a display area near the fastener that can carry graphics for merchandising the food product in the package
• a reclosable plastic package comprising first and second opposing body panels joined to each other along a pair of sides Opposing top and bottom portions extend between the pair of sides, and the bottom portion optionally includes a bottom gusset
• the package is provided with a reclosable fastener extending along the top portion
• the fastener includes first and second opposing tracks including respective first and second profiles
• the first and second profiles are adapted to releasably interlock with each other
• the top portion of the package includes at least a first top gusset connecting the first track to the first body panel and optionally includes a second top gusset connecting the second track to the second body panel In the absence of the second top gusset, the second track is directly connected to the second body panel
• the first top gusset includes a pair of opposing gusset panels joined to each other at their lower ends along a fold line One of the gusset panels extends downward from the first track, while the other of the gusset panels extends downward from the first
• FIG 1 is an isometric view of a reclosable plastic package embodying the present invention
• FIG 2 is a sectional view taken generally along line 2-2 in FIG 1
• FIGS 3a-g are isometric views showing a method of making the reclosable package
• FIG 4 is an isometric view of the package being filled from the bottom with a bulky food product such as a loaf of bread,
• FIG 5 is an isometric view of the filled package being sealed at its bottom
• FIG 6 is an isometric view of a plurality of filled and sealed packages sitting on a store shelf
• FIG 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG 2 but showing a reclosable plastic package in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention
• the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims
• FIGS 1 and 2 depict a reclosable plastic package 10 embodying the present invention
• the package 10 includes first and second opposing body panels 12 and 14 joined to each other along a pair of sides 16 If the package 10 is to be prepackaged with a food product and then sold in a store, the body panels 12 and 14 are initially left unconnected at a bottom portion 18 bridging the pair of sides 16 to provide a fill opening between the body panels 12 and 14
• the bottom portion 18 optionally includes a bottom header 20 with holes therein
• the bottom header 20 allows the package 10 to be unitized with identical packages and mounted on dispensing posts in the form of wickets prior to shipment
• the bottom header 20 includes slits adjacent to the respective holes to allow the package 10 to be torn away from the dispensing posts
• the package 10 is provided with a reclosable fastener 22 extending along a package top portion disposed opposite the bottom portion 18
• the fastener 22 includes first and second opposing tracks 24 and 26
• the first track 24 includes a groove-type female profile 28 and a first fin 30 extending downward from the female profile 28, while the second track 26 includes a rib-type male profile 32 and a second fin 34 extending downward from the male profile 32
• the female and male profiles 28 and 32 are adapted to releasably interlock with each other
• the first and second fins 30 and 34 optionally include narrow sealant ribs (not shown) on their outer surfaces to facilitate connecting the fins 30 and 34 to the remainder of the package
• lowermost ends of the first and second fins 30 and 34 are joined to each other along a line of weakness 36 to effectively create a single fin comprised of the first and second fins 30 and 34
• the line of weakness 36 may be a scored line, a perforated line, or a thinned die line and may be severed
• end termination 40 stops movement of the slider 38 in the closing direction, while the end termination 42 stops movement of the slider 38 in the opening direction
• the end terminations 40 and 42 may be a separate element attached to the fastener 22, as shown in FIG 1 , or may be integrally formed with the fastener 22 Examples of end terminations are disclosed in U S Patent Nos 5,088,971 to Herrington, 5,131,121 to Herrington et al , 5,161,286 to Herrington et al , 5,405,478 to Richardson et al , 5,442,837 to Morgan, 5,448,807 to Herrington, 5,482,375 to Richardson et al , and 5,924,173 to Dobre
• the top portion of the package 10 includes a top gusset 44 connecting the fin 30 to the body panel 12 In the absence of a second top gusset below the other fin 34, the fin 34 is directly connected to the body panel 14
• the top gusset 44 includes a pair of opposing gusset panels 44a and 44b joined to each other at their lower ends along a fold line 46
• the gusset panel 44b extends downward from the fin 30, while the gusset panel 44a extends downward from the body panel 12
• the top gusset 44 expands In the expanded top gusset 44, the gusset panels 44a and 44b are generally coplanar with each other in a central region between the sides 16 of the package 10
• the expanded top gusset 44 allows the package 10 to easily accommodate the bulky food product and, at the same time, provides a display area that can carry graphics for merchandising the food product in the package 10
• FIGS 3a through 3g depict of method of making the package 10
• a sheet 50 of thermoplastic material is folded approximately in half along a fold line 52 (FIG 3a)
• the sheet 50 is preferably part of a continuous web traveling in a machine direction identified by the arrow in FIG 3 a
• the fold line 52 is slightly displaced relative to a center line of the sheet 50 because extra material is required on one side 54 of the sheet to form the top gusset 44 in FIGS 1 and 2
• An upper section 56 of the side 54 of the folded sheet 50 preferably carries graphics 58 for merchandising the food product to be contained in the packages formed from the plastic sheet 50 Second, this upper section 56 is Z-folded to create the top gusset 44 in
• FIGS 1 and 2 If the sheet 50 is part of a continuous web, then Z-folding of the upper section 56 is preferably effectuated by a gusset wheel or folding board Third, a fastener 22 is inserted and sealed between the Z-folded upper section 56 of the side 54 and the other side 60 of the sheet 50 (FIG 3d) The fastener 22 may be sealed to the exposed edges of the folded sheet 50 using a reciprocating heated seal bar 62 as shown or a stationary convective (hot air) sealer Fourth, the side 54 of the sheet 50 is slit near the fold line 52 using a knife 64 or the like to create the bottom header 20 in FIGS 1 and 2 (FIG 3e) Fifth, if the packages are provided with respective sliders 38, the sliders 38 are mounted to the fastener 22 at package-width distances apart either before or after the fastener 22 is attached to the folded sheet 50 (FIG 3f) FIG 3f depicts the sliders 38 as being installed after the fastener
• FIG 3f depicts the finished package 10
• FIG 4 depicts a stack of finished packages 10 with one of the packages being filled from the open bottom portion 18 with a bulky food product such as a loaf of bread 70 As the package 10 is filled, the top gusset 44 expands to allow the package 10 to better accommodate the bread 70 As best shown in FIG 2, the opposing body panels 12 and 14 initially are not sealed to each other at the bottom portion 18 so that the package 10 can
• a reciprocating heated bar/blade 72 simultaneously cuts off the bottom header 20 and seals the lower edge of the body panel 12 to the body panel 14 instead of cutting off the bottom header 20, the heated bar 72 may be modified to seal the body panels 12 and 14 to each other just above the bottom header 20 and leave the bottom header 20 intact
• FIG 6 depicts a plurality of filled and sealed packages 10 sitting on a store shelf 72 It can be seen that the food product in each package 10 has expanded its respective top gusset 44 to provide a solid, uninterrupted display area (end panel) that can carry graphics (e g , a logo) for merchandising the food product in the package
• the expanded top gusset 44 of each filled package 10 generates tension on the fastener 22 to provide the fastener 22 with a distinctive arched appearance
• the fastener 22 is opened and the tamper-evident line of weakening 36 (FIG 2) is broken, the expanded top gusset 44 and the fastener 22 cooperate to restrain the food product from accidentally "spilling out” the package opening
• the expanded top gusset 44 serves as a blockade against accidental spillage
• FIG 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG 2 but showing a reclosable plastic package 80 in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention
• the package 80 in FIG 7 is similar to the package 10 in FIG 2, except that the package 80 includes a second top gusset 82 and a bottom gusset 84 Because of the top gusset 82, the body panel 14 is not directly connected to the fin 34 Rather, the top gusset 82 connects the fin 34 to the body panel 14
• the top gusset 82 includes a pair of opposing gusset panels 82a and 82b joined to each other at their lower ends along a fold line 86
• the gusset panel 82b extends downward from the fin 34, while the gusset panel 82a extends downward from the body panel 14
• both of the top gussets 44 and 82 expand to
• the bottom gusset 84 includes a pair of opposing gusset panels 84a and 84b joined to each other at their upper ends along a fold line 88 Prior to filling and sealing the package 80, one of the body panels 12 and 14 or one of the gusset panels 84a and 84b is extended to form the bottom header 20 In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom header 20 extends from the gusset panel 84a Once the package 80 is filled with a food product via a fill opening between the body panel 12 and the gusset panel 84a, the body panel and the gusset panel 84a are sealed to each other and the bottom header 20 is cut away from the package 80 Like the top gussets 44 and 82, the bottom gusset 84 expands in response to filling the package 80 with a bulky food product
• top gussets 44 and 82 may be moved upward or downward along the height of the package so long as they are proximate to the fastener 22

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Bag Frames (AREA)
• Packging For Living Organisms, Food Or Medicinal Products That Are Sensitive To Environmental Conditiond (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=23543958

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (8)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2000
  • 2000-08-28 JP JP2001521621A patent/JP2003508319A/ja active Pending
  • 2000-08-28 CA CA002350646A patent/CA2350646A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-08-28 IL IL14296000A patent/IL142960A0/xx unknown
  • 2000-08-28 EP EP00986787A patent/EP1163157A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2000-08-28 AU AU22965/01A patent/AU2296501A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-08-28 WO PCT/US2000/040749 patent/WO2001017864A2/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2000-08-28 KR KR1020017005645A patent/KR20010080940A/ko not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events