CA1265104A - Resealable tamper-evident package - Google Patents

Resealable tamper-evident package

Info

Publication number
CA1265104A
CA1265104A CA000489978A CA489978A CA1265104A CA 1265104 A CA1265104 A CA 1265104A CA 000489978 A CA000489978 A CA 000489978A CA 489978 A CA489978 A CA 489978A CA 1265104 A CA1265104 A CA 1265104A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
package
packaging structure
line
perforation
resealable
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000489978A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Donald E. Beckett
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA000489978A priority Critical patent/CA1265104A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1265104A publication Critical patent/CA1265104A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65DCONTAINERS 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
    • B65D75/00Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
    • B65D75/52Details
    • B65D75/58Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
    • B65D75/5827Tear-lines provided in a wall portion
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65DCONTAINERS 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
    • B65D33/00Details of, or accessories for, sacks or bags
    • B65D33/16End- or aperture-closing arrangements or devices
    • B65D33/34End- or aperture-closing arrangements or devices with special means for indicating unauthorised opening
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65DCONTAINERS 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
    • B65D75/00Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
    • B65D75/52Details
    • B65D75/58Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
    • B65D75/5855Peelable seals

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A packaging structure is disclosed which has a tamper-evident feature provided by a line of perforation extending across the width of the package to define a top tear strip and a resealable seal feature provided spaced from the top edge of the package a greater distance than the line of perforation. Initial opening of the package is achieved by removal of the tear strip along the line of perforation and selective access to the contents is achieved by opening and closing the package along the resealable seal.

Description

:126~

RESEALABLE TAMPER-EVIDEN~ PACRAG~
The present invention relates to a resealable tamper-evident package, useful for packaging a variety of products including food products and medicines.
It is known from U.S. Patent No. 3,625,270 to provide a resealable tamper-evident package formed of flexible polymeric film. As described in that patent, a resealable seal is provided by interlocking fastening members provided in strip-like form molded to the internal walls of the package while a tear ribbon is provided for opening the package.
This prior art structure suffers from a number of drawbacks, namely that the resealable seal requires complex shapes to be molded to the wall of the bag and the tear strip is provided as a separate element and is required to extend beyond the edges of the package to ~acilitate opening of the package. The prior art structure, therefore, is costly to manufacture and is limited to moldable plastics.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a considerably simplified resealable tamper-evident package which does not suffer from the prior art problems noted above. In the present invention, a packaging structure of overlying layers of flexible packaging material which is closed at each edge thereof to define an enclosed interior cavity comprises resealable seal means spaced from the top edge of the packaging structure and extending substantially for the width of the structure to permit the overlying layers to be separated one from another and to be releasably resealed one to another, and perforation means extending through the overlying layers substantially for the width of the structure in at least one line substantially parallel to the resealable seal means and located bet~een the top edge of the packaging structure and the resealable seal means to permit the packaging structure to be opened by the tearing off of a top strip of the packaging structure along the perforation means.

, .-. .

~265104 By providing a line of perforation extendi`ng for the width of the package, the package may be maintained in a permanently sealed condition until initial access to the contents of the enclosure is required and thereupon opening of the package is simply achieved by tearing off the top strip of the package alony the line of perforation. The line of perforation is readily provided in the pacXage as a step of the form-and-fill operation for the package and does not require a complicated manufacturing procedure. Since a top strip of the package is removed when torn along the line of perforation, access to the contents of the package is had directly through the top of the structure, which is generally the most convenient to the consumer.
15By providing a resealable seal spaced ~rom the top edge of the package a greater distance than the line of perforation, once the top strip of the package has been ; removed along the line of perforation, initial access to the contents of the enclosure may be had through the resealable seal of the package and the package may thereafter be reclosed by joining together of the elements of the resealable seal.
A consumer purchasing a product in such a package is able to determine very rapidly whethsr or not the pacXage has been tampered with, prior to purchase of the package. If the top strip is in place, the package remains in its factory-sealed stal:e while, if the top has been remoYed or the line of perforation has been partially torn, the package has been tampered with and product may have been removed from the package or contaminated.
The material of construction of the packaging structure is preferably flexible polymeric material, most preferably in the form of non-laminated web, but clearly the principles are also applicable to other ij "flexible materials o~ construction, for example, paper and metal foil.
The resealable seal preferably takes the form of a resealable line seal comprising a line of adhesive `;
.

~LZ65~04 mounted to one of the layers and extending for the width of the package. The line of adhesive is releasably bonded to the other layer to form the seal. This structure is simple and effective, does not require complicated interlocking elements that require molding and does not restrict the polymeric materials of construction of the package. The line of adhesive may be provided or a strip of material which is laminated to the polymeric material of the structure.
A wide variety of products may be packaged in the packaging structure of the invention, including any products conveniently and conventionally packaged by form-and-fill techniques. The tamper-evident feature is particularly useful when food products and medicines are packaged, since it is important that such products reach the consumer in their factory sealed condition to avoid any possibility of product having been removed or having become contaminated, either accidentally or deliberately.
The invention is described further, by way of illustration, with reference to the accompanying j drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is an elevational view of a pacXaging structure provided in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and Figure 2 is a sche~atic representation of the heat sealing jaws of a form-and-fill machine, modi~ied to produce the packaging structure of Figure 1.
; Referring to Figure 1, there is shown therein a packaging structure lO in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention. The packaging structure 10 comprises overlying layers 12 and 14 o~ polymeric material which are heat-sealed at their upper and lower edges 16 and 18 respectively to define an enclosed product-receiving cavity 20.

.
' `: `

~L265~o~

In accordance with the invention, a pealable line seal 22 i5 provided between the overlying layers 12 and 14 extending for the substantial width of the structure ; 10 parallel to and spaced from the top seal 16. The pealable seal 22 comprises a line of adhesive provided on the inner surface of one of two layers 12 and 14 and releasably joined to the inner surfaces o the other of the layers 12 and 14. The line of adhesive is conveniently provided on a strip of polymeric material which is laminated to the inner surface of one of the two layers 12 and 14.
In addition, a line of per~oration 24 extends across the width of the package between the top seal 16 and the pealable seal 22. The line of perforation 24 penetrates both layers 12 and 14 so as to permit the top strip 26 between the top edge of the package 12 and the line of perforation to be removed completely to achieve initial opening of the package 10.
Once the top strip 26 has been removed selective access to the contents of the cavity 20 may be achieved by opening and closing the resealable seal 22. Access , to the cavity 20 is attained through the top of the structure.
The packaging structure 10 conveniently may be formed by a modification of the conventional form-and-fill technique. Referring now to Figure 2, there are shown therein the heat-sealing jaws 50, 52 of a form-and-fill machine. As is well known, in conventional form-and-fill machines, a web of polymeric material first is shaped to form a tubular shape, the overlapping side edges of the web are sealed" the tubular shape is sealed at the lower end by jaws 52~ the items to be packaged then are dispensed into the resulting tube through its open top, the upper end then is sealed by jaws 50, the completed package is severed from the web, and the cycle then is repeated to produce multiple numbers of packages from the web.
In the present invention, the web 54 is provided with adhesive strips 56 at locations required to provide ;510~

the pealable seal 22 and a perforator or serrator 5~ is mounted to the upper set of jaws 50 so as to form the line of perforation 24 through the overlying layers during heat sealing of the top seal 16 of the package 10. In addition, pressure-applying jaws also may be provided to press the seal 22 together.
The web preferably is pre-printed on one side and has a strip bearing the pealable seal 22 applied on the other in registry with the printing. For these reasons, it is preferred that the web be non-laminated, with greater strengths being achieved by the use of thicker webs.
The present invention, therefore, requires only minimal structural modification to existing form-and-fill machines to produce the packaging structure from web modified to include the line seal 56.
No separate steps or operations are required to pxovide the tear strip 26, in contrast to the prior art discussed above.
In ~ummary of this disclosure, the present invention provides a novel tamper-evident resealable packaging structure which is simple, yet effective and which does not require extensive processing operations or expensive equipment to produce. Modifications ar~
possible within the scope of this invention.
' ' :

.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A packaging structure of generally rectangular shape and formed of overlying layers of flexible polymeric material which is closed at each edge thereof to define an enclosed interior cavity, which comprises:
resealable seal means spaced from the top edge of said packaging structure and extending substantially for the width of the structure to permit said overlying layers to be separated one from another and to be releasably resealed one to another, said resealable seal means comprising a line of adhesive bonded to the inside surface of one of the overlying layers and pealably joined to the other of the overlying layers, and perforation means extending through the overlying layers substantially for the width of the structure in at least one line substantially parallel to said resealable seal means and located between said top edge of said packaging structure and said resealable seal means to permit said packaging structure to be opened by the tearing off of a top strip of the packaging structure along said perforation means, said packaging structure being formed by a form-and-fill procedure and heat sealed at the top and bottom edges thereof.
CA000489978A 1985-09-04 1985-09-04 Resealable tamper-evident package Expired CA1265104A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000489978A CA1265104A (en) 1985-09-04 1985-09-04 Resealable tamper-evident package

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000489978A CA1265104A (en) 1985-09-04 1985-09-04 Resealable tamper-evident package

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1265104A true CA1265104A (en) 1990-01-30

Family

ID=4131307

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000489978A Expired CA1265104A (en) 1985-09-04 1985-09-04 Resealable tamper-evident package

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1265104A (en)

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0457617A1 (en) * 1990-05-17 1991-11-21 Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation Tamper-evident tandem recloseable package and method of making same
FR2693988A1 (en) * 1992-07-24 1994-01-28 Wuthrich Ets Plant seed packaging container - comprises outside wrapping in form of pocket having superposed peripherally joined panels separable on pre-cut line
EP0629561A2 (en) * 1993-06-10 1994-12-21 Kraft Foods, Inc. Package for sliced food product
NL1002585C2 (en) * 1996-03-12 1997-09-15 Campina Melkunie B V Divisie K Foodstuffs-package of folded sheet material
EP0959022A1 (en) * 1998-05-15 1999-11-24 Dairy Crest Limited Pack with a peelable seal
EP1090849A2 (en) * 1999-10-06 2001-04-11 Van Leer Packaging ( Deutschland) GmbH & Co. KG Plastic film pouch
US8944250B2 (en) 2013-03-11 2015-02-03 Sonoco Development, Inc. Mono-web resealable package with tamper-evident tear strip
US10730678B2 (en) 2016-05-10 2020-08-04 Sonoco Development, Inc. Mono-web package with tamper-evident tear strip and resealable flap portion

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0457617A1 (en) * 1990-05-17 1991-11-21 Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation Tamper-evident tandem recloseable package and method of making same
FR2693988A1 (en) * 1992-07-24 1994-01-28 Wuthrich Ets Plant seed packaging container - comprises outside wrapping in form of pocket having superposed peripherally joined panels separable on pre-cut line
EP0629561A2 (en) * 1993-06-10 1994-12-21 Kraft Foods, Inc. Package for sliced food product
EP0629561A3 (en) * 1993-06-10 1995-02-22 Gen Foods Inc Package for sliced food product.
NL1002585C2 (en) * 1996-03-12 1997-09-15 Campina Melkunie B V Divisie K Foodstuffs-package of folded sheet material
EP0959022A1 (en) * 1998-05-15 1999-11-24 Dairy Crest Limited Pack with a peelable seal
EP1090849A2 (en) * 1999-10-06 2001-04-11 Van Leer Packaging ( Deutschland) GmbH & Co. KG Plastic film pouch
EP1090849A3 (en) * 1999-10-06 2002-05-15 Van Leer Packaging ( Deutschland) GmbH & Co. KG Plastic film pouch
US8944250B2 (en) 2013-03-11 2015-02-03 Sonoco Development, Inc. Mono-web resealable package with tamper-evident tear strip
US10730678B2 (en) 2016-05-10 2020-08-04 Sonoco Development, Inc. Mono-web package with tamper-evident tear strip and resealable flap portion

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