CA2211758A1 - Gussetted flexible package with reclosable mouth using a zipper type reclosure strip located above the mouth - Google Patents

Abstract

A flexible, gussetted package and method of making it. The package has an interior for initially holding some product, e.g., whole coffee bean or ground coffee, under vacuum, and which includes a mouth portion arranged to be peeled open to provide access to the contents of the package. The package is formed of a flexible material and includes a front panel, a rear panel, and a pair of opposed side gussets. The panels and gussets each include a top portion, which between them define the package's mouth. A peelable closure is provided within the mouth. A zipper closure is provided above the mouth. The package is arranged to be sealed under vacuum, with the peelable closure maintaining that vacuum within the package until it is peeled open. The zipper closure is arranged to be opened and reclosed after the peelable closure has been peeled open in order to provide repeated access to the interior of the package, while minimizing the ingress of air into the package when it is closed. The top portion of the package can be folded flat to enable it to be readily stacked after it is initially filled and sealed.

Description

CA 022117~8 1997-07-30 GU8~ v FLEXIBLE P~ q~ WITH RECL08ABLE MOUTH U8ING

SPECIFICATION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to flexible packages, and more particularly to flexible packages for holding products, such as foods, under vacuum therein, and which once opened are arranged to be repeatedly re-opened and reclosed, while keeping the contents fresh.
Various types of flexible packages for holding particulate materials, e.g., ground or whole bean coffee, chemicals, etc., under vacuum therein have been disclosed in the patent literature and are commercially available today. Examples of such packages are found in the following United States Letters Patent: 4,576,285 (Goglio), 4,705,174 (Goglio), and 4,913,561 (Beer).
The major advantages of flexible packaging, as compared to relatively rigid packaging, e.g., cartons, are that until the flexible package is filled it takes up very little volume, and after it is emptied of its contents it readily collapses, thereby reducing its volume to approximately that of the unfilled package. The former characteristic is a significant advantage insofar as storage is concerned, while the latter characteristic is a significant advantage from the standpoint of disposability.
One common type of flexible package for holding goods under vacuum until the package is opened is the so-called "gussetted"
package or bag. Typically such a package is formed from a web of flexible stock material, e.g., polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, metal foil, and combinations thereof in single or multiple plies, into a tubular body, having a face panel, a back panel, and a pair of gussetted sides. Each gussetted side is formed by a pair of gusset sections and a central fold edge interposed between a pair of outer fold edges. The lower end of the bag is commonly permanently sealed, e.g., heat sealed, along a line extending transversely across the width of the bag close to its bottom edge. The top of the bag is commonly sealed transversely across the entire width of the bag in a number of CA 022117~8 1997-07-30 ways to maintain the contents under vacuum until the bag is opened. Such action is frequently accomplished via a readily openable mouth, which when opened provides access to the contents of the bag. For example, in one prior art package the top seal is made peelable by modifying the sealant layer with a peelable coating or incompatible additive. Thus, when the seal is peeled apart the unsealed portions form an open mouth through which the contents of the package may be removed.
Another approach to providing an opening or mouth for a flexible package is that of the heretofore identified Patent No.
4,705,174 (Goglio). That package includes a peel strip applied to the inner surface of the package below the top edges. The strip provides an air-tight interfacial seal which can be readily peeled apart to provide access to the interior of the package. Another approach to providing an opening or mouth for a flexible package is to score the upper flap of the package by laser or mechanical means through a tear initiation resistant layer(s) of the package structure. In this way the package can be opened by tearing away the scored area to form the package's mouth.
Gussetted bags, particularly those for foods, frequently make use of a plastic coated wire tie to serve as reclosure for the bag. In particular, the wire tie is designed to close the mouth of the bag after it has been initially opened so that the reclosed bag will keep its contents fresh. Whether or not such wire-tie reclosures effectively provide a positive means of reclosing a gussetted package is open to debate. Moreover, the effectiveness of such closures is frequently dependent upon the manner in which the wire tie is used. Thus, there is a perception in some quarters of the consuming public that a wire-tie package cannot be reclosed securely enough to maintain product freshness over an extended period of time. Therefore, such packages have not been fully accepted as being truly reclosable.
Non-gussetted flexible packages, such as stand-up pouches, are commercially available and typically include so-called "zipper-type" reclosures. Examples, of such packages are shown CA 022117~8 1997-07-30 in United States Letters Patent Nos. 5,05g,036 (Richison et al.), 5,147,272 (Richison et al.), and 5,147,272 (Richison et al.). These zipper-type closures are generally perceived by the consuming public as providing for a more effective reclosure of the flexible pouch after it has been initially opened than twist or wire tie closures. In fact, zipper-type closures may be more effective than wire-tie reclosures. At the very least they are easier to use, and not prone to loss or misplacement. Thus, stand-up, flexible pouches with zipper-type closures have gained wide acceptance by the consumer.
While the stand-up, zipper-closure type pouch offers advantages over a gussetted flexible package insofar as actual or perceived reclosability is concerned, its shape does not allow efficient use of case packing and retail shelf space, as does a gussetted package. In addition, the stand-up pouch cannot be stacked readily, if at all.
Thus, a need exists for a flexible package having the stacking and shape advantages of a gussetted package, but with the reclosability of a zipper-type closure stand-up package.
In my co-pending United States Patent Application, Serial No. 08/690,271, filed on July 19, 1996, entitled Gussetted Flexible Package With Reclosable Mouth Using Zipper Type Reclosure Strip, now abandoned, which is assigned to the same assignee as this invention and whose disclosure is incorporated by reference herein, there is disclosed and claimed a gussetted flexible package which addresses the needs of the prior art.
That package has an interior for initially holding some product, e.g., whole coffee bean or ground coffee, under vacuum, and includes a mouth portion arranged to be peeled open to provide access to the contents of the package. The package is formed of a flexible material and includes a front panel, a rear panel, and a pair of opposed side gussets. The panels and gussets each include a top portion, which between them define the package's mouth, and which is flattened. A peelable closure and a zipper closure are provided in the flattened mouth of the package. The zipper closure comprises a pair of strips which are releasably secured to each other. In particular, one of the strips extends CA 022117~8 1997-07-30 across and is fixedly secured to the flattened inner surface of the package at the top end the full width of the front panel and one half of each of the gussets on either side of the front panel. The other of the strips extends across and is fixedly secured to the flattened inner surface of the package at the top end thereof the full width of the rear panel and the other half of each of the gussets on either side of the rear panel. The package is arranged to be sealed under vacuum, with the peelable closure maintaining that vacuum within the package until it is peeled open. The zipper closure is arranged to be opened and reclosed after the peelable closure has been peeled open in order to minimize the ingress of air into the package. The package includes a top portion whiah can be folded flat to enable the package to be readily stacked.
While the package of my aforementioned copending patent application is suitable for its intended purposes, the configuration of the flattened top portion of the package which extends the full width of the package (i.e., the width of the panels, plus half the width of one side gusset, plus half the width of the other side gusset) may'be undesirable for some packaging applications.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide another gussetted flexible package which addresses the needs of the prior art.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a gussetted flexible package which includes a zipper closure and which is simple in construction.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a gussetted flexible package which includes a zipper closure and which is low in cost.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a gussetted flexible package which includes a ZiPper closure and which can be manufactured easily.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a gussetted flexible package which includes a zipper closure and which is easy to use.

CA 022117~8 1997-07-30 It is a further object of this invention to provide a gussetted flexible package which includes a zipper closure and which can be readily stacked.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects of the instant invention are achieved by providing a flexible, gussetted package having an interior for holding some material, e.g., whole bean coffee, ground coffee, etc., therein. The package is formed of a flexible material and comprises a front panel and a rear panel connected to each other by respective side gussets. Each of the panels and gussets has an upper end portion which conjoin to form a mouth for the package. The upper end of the package at the mouth is of the width of the panels.
The package additionally comprises a first and second closure means located adjacent the package's mouth. The first closure means, e.g., a peelable closure, is located within the package's mouth and is arranged for sealing the interior of the package until its mouth is opened. The second closure means is located above the first closure means and partially within the package's mouth and comprises a zipper strip having a pair of strip members releasably secured to each other. One strip member extends across the top portion of one of the panels for the width of the panel and is fixedly secured to that panel.
Similarly, the other strip member extends across the top portion of the other of the panels for the width of that panel and is fixedly secured to that panel. The strip members are arranged to be releasably secured to each other to temporarily close the package's mouth after the first closure means, e.g., the peelable closure, is opened, whereupon the second closure means, i.e., the zipper closure, eliminates or minimizes the ingress of air into the package to protect any material therein, while being readily openable to provide access to that material through the mouth.
The upper portion of the package can be folded down to form a flap and the flap secured in place to result in a brick-like shaped package, which can be readily stacked.

CA 022117~8 1997-07-30 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a package constructed in accordance with the invention, shown after it has been filled and sealed;
Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the top portion of the package of Fig. 1 shown during an initial step in opening the package;
Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the package after it has been opened;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 4 -4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the package in its fully opened state; and Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 4 and 5 but showing the package after it has been resealed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown at 10 in Fig. 1 a flexible package constructed in accordance with this invention.
The package basically comprises a gussetted bag 20 and a resealable closure 22. The bag 20 is arranged to hold any material, e.g., coffee beans, ground coffee, chemicals, etc., for dispensing, e.g., pouring, therefrom. The bag 20 is formed of a web of any suitable, flexible material in a manner to be described later. The closure 22 can be of any conventional "zipper-type" closure construction. One particularly suitable zipper-type closure is that sold by Presto Products Company, under the trade designation Fresh-Trak reclosable zipper Style 113.
Turning now to Figs. 1 and 4, it can be seen that bag 20 basically comprises a front wall or panel 24 (Fig. 4), a rear wall or panel 26 (Figs. 1 and 4), a pair of identical gussetted sides 28 (Figs. 1 and 4), a top end portion 30, and a bottom end portion 32. The top end portion 30 of the package terminates in a top marginal edge 34. In a similar manner the bottom end portion 32 of terminates in a bottom marginal edge 36. If desired, an a one-way venting valve (not shown) may be included CA 022117~8 1997-07-30 in any suitable portion of the bag to enable gases which may be produced by the material(s), e.g., coffee, contained within it after it is sealed to vent to the ambient air without air gaining ingress to the bag's interior.
The front panel 24, rear panel 26, and the two gussetted sides 28 of the bag are all integral portions of a single sheet or web of the flexible material, of single or multiple ply or layers, which has been folded and seamed to form a tubular body.
One particularly useful flexible material for the bag 20 is a laminated web of flexible packaging material commercially available from Fres-Co System USA, Inc., of Telford PA, the assignee of this invention. That material comprises a 48 gauge polyester layer, ink, an adhesive layer, a 28 gauge aluminum foil layer, another adhesive layer, a 60 gauge nylon layer, another adhesive layer, and a 300 gauge easy open sealant layer.
When a web of such material is formed into the tubular body for the package the polyester layer serves as the outer surface of the package, with the easy-open sealant layer being the inner surface of the package.
As can be seen clearly in Figs. 1-3, the rear panel 26 of the package 20 includes a fin 38 which extends longitudinally along the back of the package from the top edge to the bottom edge. The fin 38 is located approximately midway between the gussetted sides 28 and is formed by portions of the web material contiguous with the vertical marginal edges of the sheet or web which are brought into engagement with each other and are secured to one another via any conventional sealing technique, such as heat sealing or welding. The resultant fin or seam 38 is generally folded down so it lays substantially flush with the rear wall 26 of the package.
As can be seen clearly in Figs. 1, 5 and 6, the closure 22 is located so that a portion of it is above the top marginal edge 34 of the bag. The details of the closure 22 will be described later. Suffice it for now to state that the closure 22 extends across the width of the bag's two panels 24 and 26, with portions secured on the inner surface thereof immediately below the top edge 34, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 6.

CA 022117~8 1997-07-30 The bag 20 is arranged to be initially hermetically sealed closed along a transverse, peelable seal line 40 (Figs. 2-4 and 6), after it has been filled and vacuumized. The seal line 40 is formed in a conventional manner and extends across the width of the bag 20 slightly below the closure 22 to seal the inner surfaces of the abutting front and rear panels to each other between the inner fold lines 28A of the pair of gussets 28, while sealing the marginal portions of the front panel to the abutting portions of the gussetted sides contiguous therewith.
The seal line 40 also seals the marginal portions of the rear panel to the abutting portions of the gussetted sides contiguous therewith. Thus, the seal line 40 serves to isolate the contents of the package from the ambient atmosphere once it is sealed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, the peelable seal line 40 is formed by heat sealing of the abutting easy-open sealant layer portions forming the inner surface of the bag 20. Alternatively, the seal line 40 can be formed in any other conventional manner, e.g., the use of peelable sealing strips like that disclosed in the aforementioned Goglio patents, whose disclosures are incorporated by reference herein.
The lower or bottom end 32 of the bag is sealed closed along a transverse, permanent seam line closely adjacent the bottom edge 36. The permanent seam line is formed using any conventional sealing technique, such as that used for the vertical seamed fin 38.
When the bag 20 is filled, vacuumized, and sealed its contents, e.g., whole bean coffee, will be kept isolated from the ambient air by the seal line 40. The closure 22 is also closed at this time and the top portion 30 of the bag with the closure secured thereto is folded down to form a flap 12 such as shown in Fig. 1. The flap-is held in place by a strip of adhesive tape 14. In order to gain ingress into the bag so that some or all of its contents can be removed, the tape 14 is removed and the flap unfolded to the position shown in Fig. 2.
The closure 22 above top marginal edges of the bag is then CA 022117~8 1997-07-30 grasped and pulled apart as will be described in detail later.
This action peels the closure 22 apart and also peels open the peelable seal line 40 to form the mouth of the bag as shown in Fig. 3. The contents of the bag can then be poured or otherwise removed through the bag's mouth.
The closure 22 also serves as the means to enable the mouth of bag to be reclosed after some of its contents have been removed and it is desired to keep the remaining contents fresh, i.e., generally isolated from the ambient atmosphere.
The closure 22 is best seen in Fig. 2-4 and comprises a pair of strips 22A and 22B which are arranged to releasably mate with each other. Each of the strips is formed of a flexible plastic material, and extends the full width of the front or rear panel to which it is secured. The strips 22A and 22B are of generally similar construction. Thus, the strip 22A includes a top tab or grasping portion 50A (Figs. 1-4) and a bottom mounting portion 52 (Figs. 1 and 5). The strip 22B includes a top tab or grasping portion 50B (Figs. 1-4) and a bottom mounting portion 52 (Figs. 1 and 5). The mounting portion 52 of each strip is arranged to be fixedly secured to the inner surface of the top portion of the a respective panel of the bag 20. In this regard, as can be seen in Fig. 5, the mounting portion 52 of the strip 22A is fixedly secured, e.g., welded, to the inner surface of the front panel 24 immediately below the top edge 34. In a similar manner the mounting portion 52 of the strip 22B is fixedly secured, e.g., welded, to the inner surface of the rear panel 26 immediately below the top edge 34.
The strip 22A includes a linear flange 42 (Figs. 4-6) extending the entire length of the strip immediately adjacent the lower edge thereof, and a pair of linear ribs 44 and 46 extending the entire length of the strip above the flange 42.
The strip 22B also includes a linear flange 42, and a pair of linear ribs 44 and 46. The flange 42 of the strip 22B extends the entire length of the strip at an intermediate point in the height of the strip so as to be immediately adjacent the rib 44 of the strip 22A. Each of the ribs 44 and 46 of the strip 22A
includes a rounded, overhanging, downwardly-directed free end CA 022117~8 1997-07-30 tab 48. Similarly, each of the ribs 44 and 46 of the strip 22B
includes a rounded overhanging, upwardly directed free end tab 48.
The tabs 48 of the strips serve as means for holding the strips together against accidental disconnection, yet enabling them to be readily peeled apart, when desired. In particular, the spacing between the ribs 44 and 46 of the strip 22A is equal to the width of the tab 48 of the rib 44 of the strip 22B. The spacing between the ribs 44 and 46 of the strip 22B is equal to the width of the tab 48 of the rib 46 of the strip 22A. Thus, when the strips 22A and 22B are releasably secured to each other, the tab 48 of the rib 44 of the strip 22B is accommodated within the space between ribs 44 and 46 of the strip 22A and with the undersurface of the tabs on the ribs 44 and 46 engaging each other as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. In a similar manner the tab 48 of the rib 44 of the strip 22A is accommodated within the space between ribs 44 and 46 of strip 22B and with the undersurface of the tabs on the ribs 44 and 46 engaging each other. The spacing between the rib 44 and the flange 42 of the strip 22A is equal to the width of the tab 48 of the rib 46 of the strip 22B, so that when the strips 22A and 22B are releasably secured to each other, the tab 48 of the rib 46 of the strip 22B is accommodated within that space and with the undersurface of the tabs on those ribs engaging each other as also shown in Figs. 4 and 6. Similarly, the spacing between the rib 44 and the flange 42 of the strip 22B is equal to the width of the tab 48 of the rib 46 of the strip 22A, so that when the strips 22A and 22B are releasably secured to each other, the tab 48 of the rib 44 of the strip 22A is accommodated within that space and with the undersurface of the tabs on those ribs engaging each other as also shown in Figs. 4 and 6. This action effectively releasably secures the strips 22A and 22B together.
When the two strips are secured to each other as just described the flange 42 of the strip 22A abuts the rib 46 of the strip 22B to form a substantially air-tight interface. In a similar manner the flange 42 of the strip 22B abuts the rib 46 of the strip 22A to form a substantially air-tight interface.

CA 022117~8 1997-07-30 Thus, when the strips 22A and 22B are releasably secured together the contents of the bag 20 are effectively isolated from the ambient surroundings so that they can be kept fresh over an extended period of time.
The closure 22 can be readily opened by peeling apart the two strips 22A and 22B. In order to accomplish that action the strips 22A and 22B include the heretofore identified grasping portions 50A and 50B, respectively. As can be seen in Figs. 2, 4 and 6 the grasping portion 50A of the strip 22A is of greater height than the grasping portion 50B of the strip 22B, so that the top marginal edge of the portion 50A extends above the top marginal edge 50B. This enables the user of the package to readily grasp the top edge portion 50A between his/her thumb and forefinger of one hand. Once that has been accomplished the user can readily grasp the top edge portion 50B between his/her thumb and forefinger of the other hand. The two top portions 50A and 50B can then be pulled apart, to peel the closure 22 apart, i.e., to open it. In order to facilitate the grasping of the top portions 50A and 50B, each portion includes a grasping enhancing surface portion. In particular, the strip portion 50A includes a pair of slightly raised ridges 54 extending parallel to each other for the width of the strip 22A
adjacent the top edge thereof. The strip portion 50B includes a single, slightly raised ridge 56 extending the width of the strip 22B adjacent the top edge thereof. The ridge 56 of the strip 22B is located slightly below the lower-most of the ridges 54 of the strip 22A. Other grip enhancing means can be used in lieu of the ridges 54 and 56.
The bag 20 can be reclosed to seal its remaining contents therein by merely bringing the strips 22A and 22B together and applying pressure along the extending ribs to cause them to reengage like shown in Fig. 6. The flap 12 can then be folded down and the adhesive tape 14 reapplied to hold the flap in place.
In order to enable a bag of this invention to be readily stacked on other similar bags after it is initially filled and hermetically sealed by seal line 40, its upper or top portion . CA 022117~8 1997-07-30 30 can be folded over itself to form the flap 12, with the flap being adhesively secured to the underlying portion of the bag by the tape strip 14. The flap 12 and underlying portion of the bag can then be folded down and disposed on the remaining contiguous portion of the bag to form a flat top surface for the bag. This action effectively "squares" the top of the bag so that the bag has a brick-like shape. Thus, the resulting package can be readily stored and stacked. In order to enable the package to be readily opened the adhesive strip 14 is removable.
As should be appreciated from the foregoing the subject invention provides a new means of reclosing a flexible package having side gussets, in the interest of consumer acceptance.
Without further elaboration the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention that others may, by applying current or future knowledge, adopt the same for use under various conditions of service.

Claims (10)

1. A package having an interior for holding material therein, said package being formed of a flexible material and comprising a front panel and a rear panel connected to each other by respective side gussets, each of said panels and said gussets having an upper end portion which conjoin to form a mouth for said package, said package additionally comprising first and second closure means located adjacent said mouth, said first closure means being arranged for sealing the interior of the package until said first closure means is opened to open said mouth, said second closure means comprising a first elongated zipper strip member and a second elongated zipper strip member, said zipper strip members being arranged to be releasably secured to each other, one of said strip members extending across said top portion of one of said panels above said first closure means and being fixedly secured thereto, said other of said strip members extending across said top portion of the other of said panels above said first closure means and being fixedly secured thereto, said strip members being arranged to be releasably secured to each other to temporarily close said mouth after said first closure means is opened, whereupon said second closure means eliminates or minimizes the ingress of air into said package to protect any material therein while being readily openable to provide access to such material through said mouth.

2. The package of Claim 1 wherein said package is formed of a material such that when said package is sealed it is capable of maintaining the material therein under vacuum.

3. The package of Claim 1 wherein each of said strip members includes a top tab portion arranged to be gripped to peel said strips apart from each other.

4. The package of Claim 3 wherein said top tab portion of each of said strip member extends above said upper end portion of said package.

5. The package of Claim 3 wherein said top tab portion of each of said strip members has gripping enhancing means thereon.

6. The package of Claim 5 wherein said gripping enhancing means comprises at least one elongated ridge.

7. The package of Claim 1 wherein said first closure means is peelable.

8. The package of Claim 1 wherein said material forming said package comprises a plastic material.

9. The package of Claim 1 wherein said package includes a portion adjacent said mouth arranged to be folded over to form a flap.

10. The package of Claim 9 additionally comprising adhesive means to hold said flap in place.