CA1222131A

CA1222131A - Integral closure device

Info

Publication number: CA1222131A
Application number: CA000393589A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Eduardo De Lima Castro Netto
Original assignee: LIMA CASTRO NETTO E DE
Current assignee: LIMA CASTRO NETTO E DE
Priority date: 1981-01-06
Filing date: 1982-01-05
Publication date: 1987-05-26
Also published as: GB2090628A; AU556775B2; IT8168688A0; IT1145625B; AR227221A1; ZA8254B; BR8100037A; ES270061U; ES270061Y; DE3200145A1; JPS57175562A; GB2090628B; AU7908881A; FR2497498A1; FR2497498B1; PT74134A; IT8153924V0

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An adjustable integral closure device for a bag includes an operating portion and an elongated closure band. The operating portion has a main part defining a bag-engaging surface and a lever member having one end pivotally connected to the main part and an opposite distal end. The lever member is pivotally movable between a first position adjacent the bag-engaging surface and a second position remote therefrom. The device further includes resilient latching means which are operative between the lever member and the main part when the lever member is in the second position. The elongated closure band has one end integral with one end of the operating portion and is adapted to be fixed at a point along its length to a fixing means provided on the device.
The band extends across the bag-engaging surface to define a closed loop therewith when it is fixed to the fixing means. Movement of the lever member from the first position to the second position serves to decrease the circumference of the loop.

Description

~2~Z~31 The invcllt ion concerns devices for closing and sealir-g bag-;, and is directed to a means for tightly clc)sing the nec] of a ba~ witllout -the use of -tensioniny tools. 1~
preferred ernbod~ ent of the invcnti oll is a securi t:~7 seal wh:ich tigJ~ Iy c:lo~"~s tl-le nec} of a bag and is no' r~cmo~7ab1e therc~frolrl excc pl~ damatJiny the seal.

Knor.7n hag c1osures include convcnti onally a ~band which is pass,ed round the neck of the bay and is then drawn tight.
The ends of the band are then secured, or in situations where tamE~er-proofing is required, imrnobilized by conventional lead or wax or other seal means. Unfortuna-tely, previous security seals of this type havc failed to pro~ide a suffici cnt degree of security because of the difficulty in rnaintaininy the tension in .he band while the sea] is applied without using tools or external mechanical deviccs.

The ~resent invention seeks to provide an integral, disposable closure for ~ bag, which can exert and maintain a high tension in a band passed round the bag neck. The closure of the present. invention can simply be made adjus-table, to -tolerate various bag si~es, and inviolable to perform a security function .

,. ~, .

122Z~3~

According to the present invention an adjustable integral closure device for a bag includes an operating portion and an elongated closure band.
The operating portion has a main part defining a bag-engaging surface and a lever member having one end pivotally connected to the main part and an opposite distal end. The lever member is pivotally movable between a first position adjacent the bag-engaging surface and a second position remote there-from. The device further includes resilient latchingmeans which are operative between the lever member and the main part when the lever member is in the second position~ The elongated closure band has one end integral with one end of the operating portion and is adapted to be fixed at a point along its length to a fixing means provided on the device. The band extends across the bag-engaging surface to define a closed loop therewith when it is fixed to the fixing means. Movement of the lever member from the first position to the second position serves to decrease the circumference of the loop.
The preferred embodiment of the device has the main part positioned centrally, the lever member attached integrally thereto via a hinge, and the band attached integrally to the central part remote from the hinge. Between the hinge and the attachment of the band is situated the bag-engaging surface. Spaced along the band are abutments cooperable with a comple-mentary formation on the lever member to secure the band thereto at one of a number of points along the length of the band.
The preferred device of the present invention thus combines "

~3~ 1 Zz 21 3 1 ease of applicatlon with a tight gxip on the bag neck. To apply the device, the lever me~er is put in its first position adjacc-nt the bag-engaying surface of the main part of the device. l'he neck of the bag is gathered to the bag-engaging surface, and the free end of the band is passed round the yathered neck and pulled tight, whereupon it is fixed in p]ace in the cvmplementary formation so that the bag neck is encircled on one side by the band and on the other sidc by the bag~enyaglng surface of the main part of the device. The device is finally tiyhtened by moving the lever to its second position, thereby pulling the band tightly round the bag neck using the rnechanical advantaye of the lever. When the lever reaches its second position, the latching means engage to hold the device closed.

A device according to the present invention, which is a security seal, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the seal in its as-molded configuration.
Figure 2 shows a view similar to figure 1 but which has part cut away to show interior details.
Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the seal in its closed position.
Figure 4 and 5 are, respectively, views showing the seal applied to a bag, firstly ~ust ~efore sealing, and secondly in the sealed condition.
Figure 6 and 7 are views similar to fig~lres 4 and 5 showing .

an alt~ma-tivc~ method of fixing a label to the seal.

l~s is clear ~rom figurc-s 1 and 2, the seal 1 include~ a main part 2 ~1h:ich is composed of an elongate i.nvert,ed c~lannel having a web 3 a.nd flanges 4 and 5.

Flanc~es 4 and 5 have extension.s 4a, 5a away from the web 2 and provided with a transverse wall 6, orming an a.rrn 7 of chann~l sect,ion E)roject:ln(~ down~Jar(11,y :Erorn the rnaln par1,

2.' The webs ~ and 5, wll-re they join web.s 4a and 5a remote from ~he transverse wal], 6, are curved and formecl with notches to defi.ne two series of tecth ~ along the edges of webs 4, 4a, 5 and 5a. The transverse wall 6 is forrned with a Longitl~dinal slot 9 for part o its length, the slot bei.ng open ~t the free end o. the transvers~ wall 6, Hin~edly attached to the web 3 of main part 2, at its cnd nearest t,he arm 7, is a lever member 10 which is of channel section and is open upwards in the condition shown in figures 1 and 2. From th~,s position it may be swung downward to lie .beside the arm 7, or upward to.overlie the main part 2 of the seal 1, pivoting about an integral hinge 17.

The lever member 10 has two sidewalls 11, 12, spaced apart so as to be coplanar with webs 4 and 5, respectively. Joining the sidewalls. 11 and 12 is a base 13 which includes a keyhole slot 14. Tthe keyhole slot 14 has a wider part 14a nearer t:he free end of the lever member, and a narrowed part 14b `` lZ22131 extendin~ lon~3itudi.nal,1y of the lever towards the hinge 17.
Posiotioned on the sidewalls 11, 12 to be coplanar therewith ' at the free end of the lever member 10 is a pair of resi].ient hook portions 15 and 16.

The main part 2 is formed at its end remote from the hinge 17 with ~n upwardly open chamber 18, the chamber having an internal lateral dimension equal to the external lateral dimension of the rcmainder of the ma.in part 2 ~nd the lever member 10. This is achieved by positioniny the end walls 19 and 20 of the chamber beyond the webs 4 and 5 of the main part 2. The side of the chamber 18 nea,rest the hinge 17 is closed by a wall 21, and the base of the chamber is completely closed by a floor 22 which extends from thc wall 21. The chamber 18 is also provided with down~7ard]y facing detent surface~s 23, best seen in Figure 4, which are situated beneath the ends of a transverse bar 24 which is positioned between flanges 4 and 5 coplanar with web 3, and extends to contact end walls 19 and 20 of the chamber 18. Clearly, to form the chamber 18 and the detent surfaces 23, a mould which i5 provided with an expanding core may be required.

Extending from the bar 24 away from the chamber 18 is a tab 25, connected to the bar 24 by hinge 26. At the end of tab 25 remote from the hinge 26 extends a filament 27, formed .
with spherica,l enlargements 28 at a plurality of points ' along its len~th and terminating in a conical spear point 29.

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~22Z131 Operation of the seal is slmple, in that the nec~ of the l~ag to be sealed is first gath,ered and is th~n pressed into contact wi-th the te~th 8 of the seal. The lever member 10 of the seal is hinged to lie alongside the arm 7 so that the keyhole slot 14 and the slot 9 in the arm are adjacent.
The spear point 29 of filament 27 is then brough both the slot 9 and the larger part 14a of t:he keyhole slot l~, after which thc end of the filament is pulled throuyh thesc slots until it is reasonably ti,ght.

The free end of the filarncnt is then ur,ged towards the main ,part 2, so that a part of the filament 27 enters the thinner part 14b of the keyhole slot, whereupon axial ~ovement of the filament 27 relative to the lever 10 is prevented by the spherical enlargements 28 positioncd on the filament 27 abutting the base 13 of the lever member adjacent the narrower part 14b of keyhole slot 14.

Finally, lever member 10 is brought round to its final position where it overlies the main part 2 of the seal. It will be apparent that, during this movement of the lever, the filament 27 and its enlargements 28 are drawn through the slot 9 in the arm 7 by a predetermined amount, thus placing the filament 27 under greater tension than can be obtained by simple pulling by hand.

When the lever member overlies the main part 2, slight further pressure causes the hooks 15 and 16 to enter the . ~,, .

Z2213~

lateral ex~-remi,ties of the challlber 18 and enc;age ~en~ath detent sur-aces 23, thus securing the lever men~er in position. While the filamen-t is drawn tight, the tab 25 is hinged downward:Ly from the position shown in fiyure 1, .so that it effectively closes the open side of the chamber 18, opposite wall 21, and thus access to the chaml~er from below is prev~nted.

During closing o~ the seal, tlle free erld of tllc~ ,i,1amellt is laid within the ],ever rneI~er and extellds thrc)ugh an opening 29 in an end ~all 30 of the lever e~tenc'ling bet~7ee the hoolss l~i and 16. The opening 29 is forrned to surround closely one of the enlargements 28, and the distance between the end of the narrow portion 14b of keyhole slvt 14 and the opening 29 is so adjusted that an enlaryement 28 is positioned in the openlng 29 when the seal is closed. To conform to the enlargement 28, the opening 29 may have a semicircular end wall nearest the ~ase 13 of the lever me~er, and a matching projection with a concave sernicircular upper édge may be provided on the upper surface of bar 24, so that when the seal is closed only a circular opening remains, closely filled by one of the enlargements 28.

~s the seal is closed, the filament 27 and its enlargements 28 are pulled through the slot 9 in the arm 7, to tighten the~
filament about the'neck of the bag. It is foreseen that the curved end surface of the slot 9 may entcr between two of the projections and thus intexere witll ~he tigh~el~incJ

~Z22~31 movement of the filament. To avoid this, ~uide surf~ces 3]
may be provided on the ends of small rlbs 32 extending along the transverse wall 6 of the arm 7 between the flanyes 4a and 5a. These guide surfaces and ribs are illustrated in figures 2 and 3, two ribs 32 being shown. It may be desira~le to provide a single rib, or a plurality of ribs depencling on the exact (3e~metry of the end surface of slot 9.

In order to wilhstand the hiyh tension impartecl to :it by the action of lever rnember 10, the filamcnt 27 may be reinforced with an insert of resistant material moldcd therein~ The irl ert is preferab]y a metal wlre suitably proportioned and finished to prevent slippage o the enlargements 28 relative to the wire, and i5 preferably anchored within the tab 25. Alternatively the insert may be of glass fibers or any other suitable rnaterial.

A fur~er optional feature of the seal is a labcl-holding strap 33, extending laterally from onc side of the main part 2 of the seal. The strap 33 is provided at its free end with a pln 34, which is insertable prior to closing the seal in an aperture 35 formed in the web 3 of the main part 2. A cutout 36 is formed on the sidewall 12 of the lever adjacent the strap, and it is through this cutout that the strap wi]l pass when the seal is closed. To attach a label to the seal, the end of the strap is first passed through a hole in the label, and the pin 34 is therl inserted in aperture 35. The seal is thell closec~, and the strap 33 ~Z22131 is retained in pOSitiOIl by lever member 10.

Alternative]y, a label may be positioned between the lever member 10 and the main part 2, the resilient hooks either forminy a hole, or passing through a preformed hole, in ~he label. This arranyement is shown in figllrcs 6 and 7, with the seal on the point of closinc3 and closed, respectively.

, Nume~ou.s changes in desiyn w:Lll be appare~rlt to those ~kil]ed in the art, for example, the filament may have any desired form ~rovided ~hat it has spaced alony its length points for attaching it to the central part and the lever member. In an alternative design it is envisaged that the filament rnay be integrally foxmed wlth the lever mcmber, and a formation will then be provided on th~ central part to fix the filament thereto at a point on its length.

The filament may have abutments formed by external enlargemell-ts, as in the described embodiment, or may be a flal band formed with apertures to resemble a ladder. Clearly, the formation which engages the filament must be appropriately formed to cooperate therewith.

A further a]ternative design intended to be within the scope of the present invention is a seal in which the lever member 10 and main part 2 are separate, but are botll integrally joincd to the band, at its respective ends. In this confi~uration the main paxt and lcver membex will be provided with bearlng surfaces cooperable to form a fulcrum so that in operation the bag is gathered to the bag-enga~lng surface of 1;he mai.n part, -the lever mcmber and band are then passed round the neck of the bag and the bearing surf<~ce of the lcver member is fi.tted to that of the main part with the lever member in a fi.rst position relative thereto. Subseq1lent rotat:i.on of the lcver rnember to a second position in whi.ch it is latched to t,he main part will dra~1 the band tightly roun(~ the nec'k o~ the ~ag.

Clearly, the seal descrihed i.mmediately above will nol: have~
the tolerance to accommodate wi,dely differin~l bag slzes that the preferred e~od.iment has, but nevertheless m~-.y be used when identic~l bags ,require .sealiny in quantity.

The seal is described as an integral unit and i.s thereby ma~-le particularly suitahle to formatlon by injection molding technic~ues frGm any suitable resistant plastics matexial.

In the preferred embodiment, the seal is usable in secur,ity applications as it cannot be opened without damage, a propcrty arising from the fact that access to the latching hooks 15 and 16 is prevented by the confi.guration of the seal. The present invention also contemplates bag closures of a re-usable typc which can ticJhtly secure the neck of a ba~J, the closuxes being made so that the latching devlces used to retain the lever member in th~ closed posi-ti.on may bc rep~atedly released and thereafter re-closed. Sucl1 a closu,rc wi.ll ind utility in the packaging industry, for example.

Claims

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

1. An adjustable integral closure device for a bag, characterized in that it comprises an operating portion and an elongated closure band, said operating portion having a main part defining a bag-engaging surface and a lever member having one end pivotally connected to the main part and an opposite distal end, said lever member being pivotally movable between a first position adjacent the bag-engaging surface and a second position remote therefrom, the device further including resilient latching means, operative between the lever member and the main part when the lever member is in the second position, said elon-gated closure band having one end integral with one end of said operating portion and being adapted to be fixed at a point along its length to a fixing means provided on said device, the band extending across the bag-engaging surface to define a closed loop therewith when it is fixed to said fixing means, move-ment of the lever member from the first position to the second position serving to decrease the circum-ference of said loop.

2. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 1, wherein said lever member is pivotally connected adjacent one end of said main part, said elongated closure band is integral with an opposite end of said main part and said fixing means is provided on said lever member.

3. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 1, wherein said elongated band has a plurality of abutments spaced along its length, the abutments being cooperable with a complementary formation comprising said fixing means, the lever member being joined to the main part via a hinge.

4. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 3, wherein the band comprises a filament, said abutments comprise a plurality of enlargements provided along said filament, and the complementary formation is a keyhole slot having a large part through which the enlargements may pass, and a narrow part through which the enlargements may not pass.

5. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 1, wherein said elongated band has a plurality of abutments spaced along its length, the abutments being cooperable with a complementary formation comprising said fixing means, the lever member being joined to the main part via a hinge, and the band being attached integrally to the main part of the operating portion by means of a hinged tab.

6. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 1, 2 or 5, characterized in that the resilient latching means comprise one or more resilient hooks which engage corresponding detent surfaces to prevent the lever member from leaving its said second position.

7. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 4, wherein access is available to the resilient latching means when the lever member is in the second position, enabling the closure device to be removed undamaged from a bag, for re-use.

8. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 4, wherein access to the resilient latching means is unavailable when the lever member is in the second position, the closure member thus comprising a security seal.

9. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 1, 4 or 5, in which said resilient latching means comprise at least one hook portion situated on the lever member and a detent surface engageable by said hook portion and provided in an open-sided recess in the main part of the operating portion, the open side of the recess being closed by the tab when the seal is in use.

10. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 1, characterized in that the main part of said operating portion is an inverted channel section having a web and flanges, the flanges being extended downwardly and provided with a transverse wall to form an arm of channel section, the edge of each extension remote from the transverse wall, being serrated to form one said bag-engaging surface.

11. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 10, in which the lever member is attached to the web of the main part adjacent its junction with the transverse wall, the lever member being capable of motion from a first position in which it lies parallel to and adjacent the transverse wall to a second position in which it lies parallel and adjacent to the web of the main part.

12. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 4, in which the main part of said operating portion is an inverted channel section having a web and flanges, the flanges being extended downwardly and provided with a transverse wall to form an arm of channel section, the edge of each extension, remote from the transverse wall, being serrated to form one said bag-engaging surface, the lever member is attached to the web of the main part adjacent its junction with the transverse wall, the lever member being capable of motion from a first position in which it lies paralllel to and adjacent the transverse wall to a second position in which it lies parallel and adjacent to the web of the main part and the lever member is of channel section, having a base and side-walls, and when the second position overlies the web of the main part to define a closed space between the web, the base and side-walls, the filament entering the closed space via said keyhole slot which is formed in the base of the lever member and leaving the closed space via an opening in an end wall of the lever.

13. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 4, in which the main part of said operating portion is an inverted channel section having a web and flanges, the flanges being extended downwardly and provided with a transverse wall to form an arm of channel section, the edge of each extension, remote from the transverse wall, being serrated to form one said bag-engaging surface, the lever member is attached to the web of the main part adjacent its junction with the transverse wall, the lever member being capable of motion from a first position in which it lies paralllel to and adjacent the transverse wall to a second position in which it lies parallel and adjacent to the web of the main part and the lever member is of channel section, having a base and side-walls, and when the second position overlies the web of the main part to define a closed space between the web, the base and side-walls, the filament entering the closed space via said keyhole slot which is formed in the base of the lever member and leaving the closed space via an opening in an end wall of the lever, and the opening closely surrounds an enlargement of the filament, and is blocked thereby.

14. An adjustable integral closure device according to claim 4, in which the main part of said operating portion is an inverted channel section having a web and flanges, the flanges being extended downwardly and provided with a transverse wall to form an arm of channel section, the edge of each extension, remote from the transverse wall, being serrated to form one said bag-engaging surface, the lever member is attached to the web of the main part adjacent its junction with the transverse wall, the lever member being capable of motion from a first position in which it lies paralllel to and adjacent the transverse wall to a second position in which it lies parallel and adjacent to the web of the main part and the lever member is of channel section, having a base and side-walls, and when the second position overlies the web of the main part to define a closed space between the web, the base and side-walls, the filament entering the closed space via said keyhole slot which is formed in the base of the lever member and leaving the closed space via an opening in an end wall of the lever, and the opening closely surrounds an enlargement of the filament, and is blocked thereby, the opening being defined partially by the end surface of a slot in the end wall, and partially by the extremity of a projection situated on the web of the main part and which enters the slot when the lever member is in its second position.

15. An adjustable integral closure device according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3, character-ized in that the elongated band is reinforced by an insert of high-strength material.

16. An adjustable integral closure device according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3, character-ized in that the elongated band is reinforced by an insert of high-strength metallic material.

17. An adjustable integral closure device according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3, character-ized in that the device includes label-holding means.