CA1056348A

CA1056348A - Tear tie bag

Info

Publication number: CA1056348A
Application number: CA287,135A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Charles E. Wright
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1977-08-17
Filing date: 1977-09-20
Publication date: 1979-06-12

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A bag closure is provided which comprises a series of continuous, divisable closure elements capable of being automatically applied by machine. The closure itself has novel features in that lateral tabs serve to reinforce a bendable element which permits reclosure.
In an alternate embodiment, a tear element which extends only part of the way along a closure is provided to permit the provision of a pour spout for granular materials and the like.

Description

This invention relates to bags and more particularly to reclosable bags.
In Canadian Patent 894,640 issued March 7, 1972, I
provided a reclosable bag structure and closure therefor which has been widely accepted in certain applications in the bag industry.
However, the present structures have met with some resistance and have had severe shortcomings. It has required the top to be folded twice and the wire ends tucked in.
This structure permitted removal of the wares from the bag.
To overcome these prior difficulties; to permit machine application of a bag closure; to facilitate the reclosure of the bag structure and to provide a reclosable bag closure for application to granular materials, there is provided in accordance with the present invention a web of bag closure elements arranged in seriatim which are applicable over and adherable over a plurality of individual bags also in seriatim such that the individual bags are substantially air-tightly sealed, substantially tamper-proof and they may be used for the containment and dispensing of other than relatively large objects.
These objects and the advantages of the structure of the present invention will be more easily understood from the following description and drawings of the preferred embodi-- 25 ments of the invention in which:

I

Figure 1 is a general plan view of one embodiment of a bag closure in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 2 is a section taken along line 2-2 of Figure l;
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a bag sealed with a bag closure of the structure illust~ated in Figures 1 and 2;

~ 2 - ~

Figure 4 is a general perspective view of a bag as shown in Figure 3 after opening;
Figure 5 is a general perspective view of a bag in accordance with the embodiment in Figures 3 and 4 reclosed;
Figure 6 is a general plan view of an alternative embodiment of a bag closure in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 7 is a general perspective view of part of a bag top closed;
Figure 8 is a general perspective view of a bag closed with the closure illustrated in Figure 6 after having been opened; and Figure 9 is a general perspective view of the bag illustrated in Figure 8 partly reclosed.
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly with respect to Figures 1 through 5, it will be observed that a closure member 10 comprises a continuous foldable paper me~ber 11 which has its main longitudinal axis indicated at 100. On one side of axis 100 a wire element 12 is provided as shown and over this assembly a layer of adhesive material is provided as shown. In this embodiment, a heat-sensitive delayed tack layer of adhesive 20 is employed although alter-native adhesives depending on the bag and method of application may be employed. On top of this adherable layer immediately adjacent to the longitudinal axis, a tear element 13 is provided. This tear element, however, as distinct from that in my prior patent is planar in form and is wider than it is thicker. The previous structure, being a thread-like structure, had a tendency to separate because of minimal contact with its adjacent surfaces and it tore the bag along a line which was so fine that there was no "edge" to permit the user easy entry.

With this ~resent structure, the tear element 13 is polypropylene or an equivalent material and the width lends an "edge" to one side of the tear to permit easy access.
As mentioned previously, member 11 is continuous.
However, perforations such as are indicated at 14 and 15 are provided on the remote half of the closure 11 from the wire element 12. For convenience, the two closure halves are identified as 50 and 51. The wire element 12 is bendable.
The outer dotted lines 16 nad 17 in Figure 1 indi-cated the future outer closure limits or more convenientlythe tab ends.
Referring now to Figures 6 through 9, the structure herein illustrated is very similar, but the structure is different and it produces a different result in operation.
As illustrated in the plan view, in Figure 6 where similar parts are similarly membered, a foldable paper member 11 is part of a continuous element 10. Again, as with the structure illustrated in Figure 1, there is a bendable wire element 12, over which an adherable layer 20 is provided 20 and a tear element 13 is then secured over the adherable layer 20.
However, in the structure illustrated in Figures 6 through 9, the tear element 13 is not continuous and is severed inward of the bag gusset. This severance need only be inward of one gusset.
Both the bag closure elements 11 are applied over the , open mouths of the bags by the machine in accordance with the method described in my copending application filed concurrently herewith.
5, 30 The bag closure 11 is applied over the bag mouth so that the longitudinal axis 100 coincides with the main axis of the bag mouth.

~056348 The two halves of the closure element 50 and 51 are then folded over to lie over the adjacent bag walls with the delayed tack surface 20 adjacent the outer bag surface.
The wire element 12 is in this manner secured between the outer bag surface and the paper layer 11.
The paper element 11 as previously mentioned is per-forated at 14 and 15 on one side 51 of the closure element 11.
As described in my copending application, after sealing, the closure element is severed as at 16 and 17 so as to provide lateral tabs projecting from either end of the bag.
These may then be folded over as in Figure 5.
When the user wants to open the bag illustrated in Figure 5, he or she grips the element 13 and pulls it longi-tudinally. The bag is then open as shown in Figure 4.
With the structure as shown in Figure 3, the two tab areas, that is the areas, laterally of perforate lines 14 and 15, remain with the opposed tab sections secured and the lateral projections of the wire 12 are left secured to their opposed tab areas as shown in Figure 4. This structure rein-forces the lateral tabs and makes for easier reclosure and a neater, more finished appearance.
The bag may simply be reclosed by pushing the sides together, bending the tops 50 and 51 over and bending tabs 16 and 17 inward.
With the embodiment shown in Figures 6 through 9, while the application of the closure and its severance after sealing is the same, there will be a different effect in operation.
When the user grips the tear element 13, he or she will only rip the bag open to the point of discontinuity.
In this manner, a spout may be provided as shown in Figure 8.

There the discontinuity in Figure 6 is at such a distance that it is areater than the gusset depth. The bag may be reclosed simply by urging the sides together and bending the tab inward or the bag may be folded over and then the tab turned in.
While certain specific embodiments have been described, others will be apparent and equivalent to those described.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A closure element for reclosably securing a bag having an open end which closure element comprises a first layer of tearable, foldable material having a longitudinal axis; a bendable element extending the length of said first layer disposed on one side of said longitudinal axis; a second layer of adherable material extending over said first layer and said bendable member; and a tear member extending at least part of the length of said foldable member along the longi-tudinal axis thereof and from at least one end thereof.

2. A closure element as claimed in Claim 1 which com-prises a plurality of discrete tear members spaced apart from adjacent discrete tear members in an end-to-end relation-ship.

3. A closure element as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said tear member extends along the entire length of said foldable member.

4. A closure element as claimed in Claim 1, further including a severable area adjacent each end of said first layer of foldable material opposite to said bendable member.

5. A closure element as claimed in Claim 3, further including a severable area adjacent each end of said first layer of foldable material opposite to said bendable member.

6. A bag assembly including a bag having front and back portions forming an open end, said bag closure including a sheet of material folded over the open end of said bag and sealed to the front and back portions thereof to close the open end; a flexible tear member extending only part way along the fold line from adjacent one end thereof within the closure sheet, the tear member being operable to tear the closure sheet part way to provide a spout element; and a bendable reclosure member extending parallel to said tear member and spaced therefrom to permit reclosure of said bag, said closure sheet being wider than the closed bag to permit bending of lateral extensions and reclosing of said bag.

7. A bag assembly as claimed in Claim 6 wherein said closure sheet has lines of weakening on one side thereof at each end to provide lateral reinforcing projections for said bendable members.