CA2159926C - Resealable pack - Google Patents

Resealable pack Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2159926C
CA2159926C CA002159926A CA2159926A CA2159926C CA 2159926 C CA2159926 C CA 2159926C CA 002159926 A CA002159926 A CA 002159926A CA 2159926 A CA2159926 A CA 2159926A CA 2159926 C CA2159926 C CA 2159926C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
slit
pack according
sealing member
body portion
pack
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 - Fee Related
Application number
CA002159926A
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
CA2159926A1 (en
Inventor
Gianfranco Palumbo
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.)
Procter and Gamble Co
Original Assignee
Procter and Gamble Co
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 Procter and Gamble Co filed Critical Procter and Gamble Co
Publication of CA2159926A1 publication Critical patent/CA2159926A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2159926C publication Critical patent/CA2159926C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related 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
    • B65D75/5833Tear-lines provided in a wall portion for tearing out a portion of the wall
    • B65D75/5838Tear-lines provided in a wall portion for tearing out a portion of the wall combined with separate fixed tearing means, e.g. tabs
    • 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
    • B65D75/04Articles or materials wholly enclosed in single sheets or wrapper blanks
    • B65D75/06Articles or materials wholly enclosed in single sheets or wrapper blanks in sheets or blanks initially folded to form tubes
    • B65D75/12Articles or materials wholly enclosed in single sheets or wrapper blanks in sheets or blanks initially folded to form tubes with the ends of the tube closed by flattening and heat-sealing

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
  • Cleaning Implements For Floors, Carpets, Furniture, Walls, And The Like (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Closures For Containers (AREA)

Abstract

A pack has a body (11) defining a cavity for receiving articles such as wet wipes. The body (11) is provided with a slit (13) which is non-rectilinear and which has first and second ends, for example V-shaped. A sealing member (15) covers the slit and is resealably adhered to the body on both sides of the slit, whereby to provide a seal.

Description

cR~ ~ AAA
_ 2I~99~6 RESEALAHLE PACK
This invention relates to a resealable pack.
It is particularly intended for use in the packaging of wet wipes, but it is to be understood that the invention is also applicable to the packaging of other articles.
As is well known, wet wipes are articles in the form of small sheets which are impregnated with a skin- cleansing liquid and which are intended to be disposed of after a single use. Wet wipes are sometimes packaged individually, in which case the packaging is thrown away after it has been opened and the wet wipe removed therefrom. However it is also known to produce a pack containing a plurality of wet wipes. In that case, the pack must be provided with a resealable opening, since the skin-cleansing liquid with which the wipes are impregnated evaporates readily, and the wipes will therefore dry out unless the pack can be properly resealed after each wipe is removed..
In conventional wet wipes packs, the tape used for sealing and resealing the opening represents a substantial portion of the cost of the product.
Furthermore, to prevent the cost of the tape becoming excessive it is usual to provide only a relatively small opening in the pack, so that the amount of tape required is reduced, and this makes it difficult for a 01-10-00 03:55am Fron-5IM MCBURHEY 4165951163 T-8TT P.04/06 F-991 a user to remove wet wipes from the pack and may even result in their breaking during the course of removal. Tt is an object of an aspect of the present invention to provide a pack in which the amount of material required to effect resealing is reduced in relation to the size of o~aening with which the pack is provided. ~y virtue of this it is feasible to increase the size of the opening, or reduce the cost of the material required for sealing, or both-Summarar of the Tnvention According to the present invention there is prav~ded a pack having a body portion defining an article-receiving cavity, the body portion being provided with a slit which is non-rectilrriear and which has first and second ends; and a sealing member which covers the slit and is resealably adhered to the body portion on both sides of the slit, whereby to provide a seal, the sealing member having a pair of side edges, one on either side of the slit, both of which side edges follow generally the direction of the slit.
It is to be understood that the term "slit" does not neee$sarily imply that the material concerned begins in non-slitted form and then has a slit formed therein by a slitting process, though that would normally be the case.
>,urther, it is to be understood that the term "slit" is intended to encompass clot only openings which have a zero or very small width, and which would normally be described as slits, but also Oi-10-00 03:55pm Fro~-51M MCBURNEY 4165951163 T-8TT P.05/06 F-891 openings having a significant width, fox example up to several mm, ar even more, and which might more usually be described as slots.
Preferably, the said side edges are substantially parallel to one another and to the direction of the slit. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the slit is generally V-shaped, and the sealing member is correspandingl.y generally V-shaped. 'fhe apex angle of the is preferably from 44° and 100°, most preferably about 5a°. However, other shapes of slit and tab may be used instead. Thus, i.n an alternative embodiment the slit can be curved, far example arcuate, and may, for cxmnple, semicircular, and the sealing member may be correspondingly shaped, ~n accordance with one embodiment Qf the invention, there is provided a pack having a body portion defining an article--receiving cavity, the body portion being provided with a slit wriich follows a non-rectilinear path and which has first and second ends: and a sealing membex which covers the slit and is resealably adhered to the body paxtion on both sides of the slit, whereby to provide a seal, the sealing member having a pair of side edges, one an either side of the slit, both of which side edges fallow generally the path of the slit_ In accordance with anothrr embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of making a plurality of packs, comprising forming each pack to have:
(a) a body portion defining an article-receiving cavity, the body portion being provided with a slit which follows a non-rectilinear path and which has first arid second ends: and (b) a sealing member which covers the slit and is O1-10-00 03:55p~ Fron~-SIM MCBURNEY 4165951163 T-9TT P.O6/06 F-9si1 3a reseala>aly adhered to the body po>ttion on both srt~es of the slit, whereby to provide a seal, the sealing member havrng a pair of side edges, one on either side of the slit, both of which side edges foll4W generally the Bath of the slit:
wherein the sealing memlaers for the plurality of packs are severed Pram adjacent portions of a sheet material witriout t rimminr~ .
As will become apparent from the following description of the e~ribodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the pack of the present invention is more economical than conventional resealable packs in terms of the amount of material required for the sealing member.
The invention w~.ll now be further described with reference to the acGOmpanyi.ng drawings, ~.n which:
F~.gure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a known pack for wet wipes. the pack losing in its sealed condition:
Figure 2 ~s a s~.milar view of a pack according to the present invention:
sa 10/01/2000 815:53 4166951163 received - 21~99~~

Figure 3 shows the pack of Figure 2 in its opened conditions and Figure 4 shows part of a strip of material for use in the manufacture of the sealing members, showing how a plurality of the members can be cut therefrom.
The known wet wipes pack shown in Figure 1 comprises a body 1 of generally parallelepiped form formed of a plastics material, for example a polyethylene film, a polypropylene film or a laminate consisting of, for example, polyethylene and polypropylene layers, optionally with a layer of paper between them. The body is formed of a single sheet of plastics material sealed at its opposite ends by end seams 2, and also having a longitudinal seam on the reverse side (not visible in Figure 1). An elongate opening 3 is defined in the top face of the body portion. The opening is of generally rectangular form, but the ends 4 thereof are rounded so as to avoid forming sharp corners which might be unhelpful as regards the removal of articles from within the body.
The opening 3 is covered by a sealing member which is resealably secured to the adjacent face of the body 1 by means of an adhesive, for example an acrylic- based or rubber-based adhesive. Sealing is provided over the whole of the area where the sealing - 2I599,~
member 5 overlies the body 1, except for a tab 6 at one end of the sealing member 5. This provides a location where the user can grasp the sealing member. It will be seen that even for quite a small opening 3 it is necessary to provide a comparatively large sealing member 5, since the latter must extend beyond the former on all sides if it is to provide the requisite seal. The material of the sealing member 5, i.e. the substrate to which the adhesive is applied, may, for example, be a polypropylene film, or a laminate of paper/polypropylene, paper/polyethylene, or polyethylene/polypropylene. Where a two-layer laminate is used which includes paper, the adhesive is advantageously applied to the paper.
Wet wipes or other articles are held within the cavity defined by the body 1. When a user desires to remove a wet wipe, he grasps the tab 6 and pulls the sealing member away from the adjacent face of the body portion 1 so as to expose the aperture 3, and then removes a wet wipe through the aperture. Means (not shown) may be provided to prevent the sealing member 5 from being completely removed from the body 1, so that it remains attached to it at all times at the end of the sealing member remote from the tab 6. After the user has removed a wet wipe he then brings the sealing member back to the position shown in Figure 1 so as to reseal the opening 3.

_ 2~ 599 An embodiment of the invention is shown in its closed position in Figure 2. As in the case of the known pack shown in Figure 1, this comprises a body, here denoted by reference numeral 11, which is sealed by end seals 12 and a longitudinal seal (not shown). In this case, however, instead of the aperture 3 there is a generally V- shaped slit 13.
This has first and second ends 14 which, as shown in Figure 2, are arcuate (for example semicircular) with the open sides of the arcs facing back towards the apex of the V.
A generally V-shaped sealing member 15 covers the whole of the length of the slit 13 and is resealably connected by an adhesive to the body 11 on both sides of the slit. Thus, in the position shown in Figure 2 the slit is completely sealed by the sealing member 15. The latter is adhered to the body 11 over substantially the whole of its surface, except that a tab 16 is provided at the apex of the V, where the sealing member 15 is not adhered to the body.
This serves the same purpose as the tab 6 in Figure 1.
The sealing member 15 has side edges 15a and 15b which at least follow generally the direction of the slit 13, and are preferably substantially parallel to one another and to the slit.
When the user desires to remove a wet wipe from the pack he grasps the tab 16 and uses it to pull __ the sealing member 15 upwardly, starting at the apex of the V. The effect of this is that the portion of the sealing member 15 on the outside of the V is pulled away from that part of the body 11 to which it was previously adhered, but the portion of the sealing member on the inside of the V remains adhered to the body. The arcuate portions 14 are provided as a precaution to reduce the risk that continued pulling on the tab beyond the stage indicated in Figure 3 will cause the material of the body 11 to tear. In practice, however, the risk of this is slight and the arcuate portions 14 can generally be omitted.
As can be seen in Figure 3, the opening process just described exposes a large V-shaped opening 17 through which a wet wipe can easily be withdrawn.
After this has been done the sealing member 15 is lowered to the position shown in Figure 2 and the pack is resealed.
In relation to the size of opening which it provides, the sealing member 15 can be formed of relatively little material. This is illustrated in Figure 4, which shows a strip 20 of material suitable for forming sealing members 15. This can be used to provide a plurality of sealing members 15 by severing it along the V-shaped lines 21. This means that there is no wastage of material at all, except at the very ends of the strip 20, and that wastage can be made g insignificant by using a sufficiently long strip. It is not necessary to trim the sealing members 15 in any way. This contrasts with sealing members of the type indicated by reference numeral 5 in Figure 1, where the sealing member is large in relation to the opening available for removal of a wet wipe, and where, furthermore, the shape of the sealing member is such that wastage of the sheet from which it is cut is inevitable.
Preferably, the tape is coated with adhesive before the tape is severed into individual sealing members,leaving adhesive-free es to form the tabs zon 16.

As already mentioned, sealing member used the in the have a shape other than V-shaped, invention can and one possibility is to use a member which is arcuate,for example semicircular.

Claims (15)

1. A pack having a body portion defining an article-receiving cavity, the body portion being provided with a slit which follows a non-rectilinear path and which has first and second ends; and a sealing member which covers the slit and is resealably adhered to the body portion on both sides of the slit, whereby to provide a seal, the sealing member having a pair of side edges, one on either side of the slit, both of which side edges follow generally the path of the slit.
2. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the slit is in the form of a slot having a significant width.
3. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the body portion is made of a flexible sheet plastics material.
4. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is made of a flexible sheet plastics material.
5. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member has a first end at which it is provided with a tab which is not sealed to the body portion and which can be grasped by a user.
6. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the slit is generally V-shaped and comprises first and second portions meeting at an apex.
7. A pack according to claim 6, wherein at the apex the said first and second portions meet at an angle of from 40° to 100°.
8. A pack according to claim 7, wherein the said angle is about 50°.
9. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the slit is curved.
10. A pack according to claim 9, wherein the slit is generally arcuate.
11. A pack according to claim 10, wherein the slit is semicircular.
12. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the said side edges are substantially parallel to one another.
13. A pack according to claim 12, wherein the said side edges are substantially parallel to the path of the slit.
14. A method of making a plurality of packs, comprising forming each pack to have:
(a) a body portion defining an article-receiving cavity, the body portion being provided with a slit which follows a non-rectilinear path and which has first and second ends; and (b) a sealing member which covers the slit and is resealably adhered to the body portion on both sides of the slit, whereby to provide a seal, the sealing member having a pair of side edges, one on either side of the slit, both of which side edges follow generally the path of the slit;
wherein the sealing members for the plurality of packs are severed from adjacent portions of a sheet material without trimming.
15. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the article-receiving cavity contains a plurality of wet wipes.
CA002159926A 1994-10-07 1995-10-05 Resealable pack Expired - Fee Related CA2159926C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITTO94A000795 1994-10-07
IT94TO000795A ITTO940795A1 (en) 1994-10-07 1994-10-07 SEALABLE PACKAGE

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2159926A1 CA2159926A1 (en) 1996-04-08
CA2159926C true CA2159926C (en) 2001-05-15

Family

ID=11412814

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002159926A Expired - Fee Related CA2159926C (en) 1994-10-07 1995-10-05 Resealable pack

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0784573A4 (en)
JP (1) JPH10509406A (en)
AU (1) AU704785B2 (en)
CA (1) CA2159926C (en)
IT (1) ITTO940795A1 (en)
WO (1) WO1996011147A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (16)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ITTO940796A1 (en) * 1994-10-07 1996-04-07 P & G Spa SEALABLE PACKAGE
US6015045A (en) * 1996-08-09 2000-01-18 The Procter & Gamble Company Hygienic package with a reclosable flap
FR2772011B3 (en) 1997-12-10 2000-01-28 Denis Guibert CASE FOR PRODUCTS, AND ARTICLE OBTAINED
SE0104399D0 (en) * 2001-12-27 2001-12-27 Regath Hb Label
US8308363B2 (en) 2006-05-23 2012-11-13 Kraft Foods Global Brands Llc Package integrity indicator for container closure
US8261907B2 (en) * 2006-06-30 2012-09-11 Tyco Healthcare Group Lp Wound closure adhesive remover
US20110005943A1 (en) * 2007-02-08 2011-01-13 Beihoffer Thomas W Wipe Products Having Enhanced Long Term Stability
US8408792B2 (en) 2007-03-30 2013-04-02 Kraft Foods Global Brands Llc Package integrity indicating closure
US7789291B2 (en) * 2008-06-10 2010-09-07 Printpack Illinois, Inc. Packaging article and method with particular tearing slit arrangement
US20100018974A1 (en) 2008-07-24 2010-01-28 Deborah Lyzenga Package integrity indicating closure
JP2011193968A (en) * 2010-03-18 2011-10-06 Livedo Corporation Absorptive article
ES2643553T3 (en) 2010-04-16 2017-11-23 Mondi Consumer Packaging International AG Manufacturing procedure of a multilaminar packaging film
US9656783B2 (en) 2010-05-18 2017-05-23 Intercontinental Great Brands Llc Reclosable flexible packaging and methods for manufacturing same
ES2525843T3 (en) 2010-05-18 2014-12-30 Intercontinental Great Brands Llc Flexible container repeatedly closable and manufacturing methods
CN103491910B (en) * 2011-01-26 2016-08-17 Sca卫生用品公司 Absorbent commodity and manufacture method thereof including forming element
PL2942290T3 (en) 2011-03-17 2017-03-31 Intercontinental Great Brands Llc Reclosable flexible film package and method of manufacture

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR998934A (en) * 1949-05-04 1952-01-24 Wingfoot Corp Method and apparatus for applying tear tape to packaging and resulting packaging
US2896839A (en) * 1955-07-26 1959-07-28 Foil Process Corp Package for drink-forming powders
CH516440A (en) * 1969-12-01 1971-12-15 Kustner Freres Cie Sa Sheet intended to wrap a body
US4260061A (en) * 1979-07-05 1981-04-07 Bemis Company, Inc. Bag with opening and reclosing feature
US4552269A (en) * 1983-12-07 1985-11-12 Chang Sung Chol Resealable sealing device
US4723301A (en) * 1986-02-03 1988-02-02 Chang Sung Choi Container resealable sealing device construction
DE8708274U1 (en) * 1987-06-12 1987-08-13 Vereinigte Papierwerke AG, 8500 Nürnberg Resealable packaging made of plastic film
US4840270A (en) * 1987-12-21 1989-06-20 Nice-Pak Products, Inc. Re-sealable label flap
DE3836653A1 (en) * 1988-10-27 1990-05-03 Jacobs Suchard Ag Package and top label for attachment to the end face of a package
DE4139924A1 (en) * 1991-12-04 1993-06-09 Focke & Co (Gmbh & Co), 2810 Verden, De SOFT PACK FOR PAPER HANDKERCHIEFS
DK0630345T3 (en) * 1992-03-13 1997-08-25 Procter & Gamble Storage and dispensing system for products packed in a sealed bag

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2159926A1 (en) 1996-04-08
AU3892195A (en) 1996-05-02
WO1996011147A1 (en) 1996-04-18
ITTO940795A0 (en) 1994-10-07
MX9702459A (en) 1998-05-31
EP0784573A4 (en) 1999-05-19
AU704785B2 (en) 1999-05-06
JPH10509406A (en) 1998-09-14
EP0784573A1 (en) 1997-07-23
ITTO940795A1 (en) 1996-04-07

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