EP2399837B1

EP2399837B1 - Bag with handle

Info

Publication number: EP2399837B1
Application number: EP10168085.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Benito Selmin
Original assignee: Sacchettificio Nazionale G Corazza SpA
Current assignee: Sacchettificio Nazionale G Corazza SpA
Priority date: 2010-06-23
Filing date: 2010-07-01
Publication date: 2013-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 2030-07-01
Also published as: DK2399837T3; PL2399837T3; SI2399837T1; ES2441552T3; HRP20131202T1; IT1400802B1; EP2399837A1; ITPD20100197A1

Description

This patent relates to plastic container bags and in particular it relates to a new container bag made of plastic material, particularly suitable for foodstuffs for animal use, equipped with a single or double loop handle.
As known in the prior art there are container bags made from at least one film or a continuous support, for example made of plastic material, which is processed in various stages including folding, cutting and sealing, to obtain a bag with a closed bottom and an opening to fill the bag from above, opposite from the bottom, which, after the filling operation, is closed and sealed.
As known in the prior art there are container bags containing at least one handle located generally near said opening to fill the bag, that is, on the upper edge of the bag, opposite from the bottom.
As known there are large bags, such as bags intended to contain foodstuffs for animal use, and where said top handle is therefore at a significant distance from said bottom.
Therefore, the operations involved in moving the bag are uncomfortable because the user, particularly if short, cannot lift the bag from the ground by just grasping it from said top handle.
To solve that problem, there are known container bags where the handle is not located on the top edge of the bag but on a vertical surface of said bag usually on one side, in an intermediate position between the bottom and the top edge, so that the user can carry the bag horizontally instead of vertically, thus with less effort and greater manoeuvrability.
Handles made from a strip of plastic material heat sealed at the ends on the outer surface of the bag and placed preferably in the direction of the height of said bag are known.
Patent EP 2 035 288 concerns a container bag made of plastic material featuring gusset side walls where handles are made from two openings side by side made on the gusset of one of said side walls. To prevent the material contained in the bag from coming out of said openings, at least one additional label or film is applied inside said bag in correspondence with said openings to close them.
Other known container bags have the handle comprising a strip bound internally to the bag and accessible from the outside through an opening on said bag substantially having the dimensions of said handle, with said opening sealed from below by a label applied inside said bag.
Solutions similar to that mentioned above are, for example, described in patent applications WO 2008/145164 , EP 0553693 , U.S. 2006/0188178 .
US2009/022430 discloses a packing bag comprising a panel with two holes, a reinforcing strip covering said holes, and a handle, wherein said handle 28 is attached to the reinforcing strip through said holes.
EP 1712482 discloses a bag made of thermoplastic material, having holes closed by an internal strip, wherein a handle is fixed with its opposite ends to said internal strip through said holes.
In known bags, said handles are applied on the bag during the continuous production cycle of said bag, where said production cycle foresees the perforation or cutting of the film or support material in the area where the handle is applied, the application of a strip constituting the handle which is heat sealed at its ends to the film or support surface facing the inside of said bag and the application of a label to close the hole.
When the bag is made, filled and ready to use, the user must first remove any possible portion of perforated film to access the handle from the outside of the bag, while the sealing label applied to the inside of said bag guarantees the tightness of the seal of said bag.
Known bags for container have a single handle on a side, placed substantially centrally with respect to the height of said bag.
Known bags for container also have at least one opening to access its contents, placed along the top of the bag, near a corner, to facilitate the operation of pouring its contents.
To perform said operation the user must grasp said bag, lift it, tilt it and turn it over to direct the opening down to pour out the contents of the bag. Therefore, the user must use the single side handle to turn the bag over. This operation is very inconvenient especially with very heavy or very large bags given that users can easily place the bag horizontally by grasping the single side handle, but then may not be able to tilt said bag even further without grasping the bag itself.
In addition, the single side handle is particularly inconvenient especially for large or heavy bags, because when the bag is lifted using the handle, the handle itself is deformed into a U shape leaving little room for the hand, the fingers of which are crushed.
In addition, since the handle is actually anchored to the bag in two points corresponding to its two ends, the tensile forces generated during the lifting, transport and handling of the bag using said handle are concentrated on said two points, risking the breakage of the handle itself or the film or support material constituting the bag.
The object of this patent is a new type of plastic container bag, particularly suitable for foodstuffs for animal use, equipped with a double loop handle.
The main objective of this invention is to make the transport and handling of the bag less difficult and uncomfortable.
Another objective of this invention is to enable the bag to be turned over more easily during the operation of pouring its contents.
Another objective of this invention is to ensure better distribution of the tensile forces in at least three points or areas of the film or support material comprising the bag, making it easier to grasp by the user and also reducing the risk of breakage of said handle or said film or support material comprising the bag.
These and other objectives, whether direct or complementary, are achieved by the new plastic container bag, particularly suitable for foodstuffs for animal use, equipped with a double loop handle.
The new container bag comprises at least one handle positioned on one side of said bag, in an intermediate position between the bottom and the top edge of the bag itself, and where said handle comprises at least one strip bound indirectly to said bag in at least three points or areas creating two loops.
The film or support material constituting said bag comprises at least three holes, with one single closure label of said holes applied to the inner surface, and where said handle is bound at both ends and at a midpoint on said closure label, at said three holes, leaving the unbound part of the handle outside the bag.
Therefore, in practical terms, said handle is bound to said bag at least at its two opposite ends and at a midpoint in order to create two loops preferably symmetrical to said midpoint, so that the user can insert the hand with two fingers in one loop and two fingers in the other loop, distributing the tensile forces during the lifting, transport and handling of the bag.
This handle is substantially centred with respect to the height of the bag and in particular, said intermediate fixing area is preferably positioned centrally, so that said two loops are displaced compared to said central position and in particular a first lower loop, which is positioned closer to the bottom of the bag, below the midpoint or centre of gravity of the bag, and a second upper loop, which is positioned farther from the bottom of the bag, above the midpoint or centre of gravity of the bag.
Therefore, the user can grasp both loops with one hand, as described above, and tilt the bag from the vertical to the horizontal position.
Then, as a result of the two loops displaced with respect to the centre of gravity or the midpoint of the bag's height, the user can further tilt the bag to pour out its contents by lifting the bottom simply acting on the lower loop only.
The characteristics of the new bag will be better clarified by the following description with reference to the drawings, attached by way of a nonlimiting example.

Figure 1 shows a section of a bag (S) in correspondence to a handle (C) with a single loop (C2) of a reference example not forming part of the invention.
Figures 2 and 3 respectively represent a handle (C) in an embodiment of the present invention featuring a double-loop (C2, C4) and a closure label (B), where sealing and/or bonding areas are indicated.
Figure 4 is a diagram with the distribution of three holes (A1, A2, A3) made in the film or support material (A) constituting a bag (S) according to the present invention.
Figure 5 shows a section of a bag (S) in correspondence to a handle (C) featuring a double loop (C2, C4) according to the present invention.
Figures 6a and 6b are diagrams representing the use of a bag (S) with a handle (C) featuring a double loop (C2, C4) according to the present invention.

This is a container bag (S) made with at least one film or support material (A), such as plastic material, which undergoes successive bending, cutting and welding operations to make a reclosable package, as represented in Figures 6a and 6b.
The bag (S) comprises a closed bottom (S1), at least one opening (S2) on the opposite end of the bag (S), side walls two of which are larger opposite walls (S3) and two of which are side walls (S4), like for example gusset side walls.
The bag (S) is particularly useful and usable for the container of foodstuff intended, for example, for animal use, preferably in granular form.
The new container bag (S) comprises at least one handle (C) applied on the outside of said bag (S), on at least one side (S4) in a substantially intermediate position between the bottom (S1) and the upper opening (S2). In detail, said handle (C) includes at least one band, represented in Figure 2, placed substantially parallel to the gusset, that is, in the direction of the bag's height (S).
As shown in Figure 1, which represents a reference example, on said film or support material (A) constituting said bag (S) there are at least two holes (A1, A3), that is, at least one hole for each area or anchoring point for the handle (C).
In correspondence with said holes (A1 A3) at least one label (B) to close said holes (A1, A3) is applied and sealed on the surface (A4) of the film or support material (A) facing the inside the bag (S).
Said handle (C) is bound to said label (B) from the outside of the bag (S) at the two opposite ends (C1, C5) in correspondence with said two holes (A1, A3) of said film or support material (A), such that the film or support material (A) is actually sandwiched between the label (B) and said handle (C).
According to the present invention, as shown in Figure 4, on said film or support material (A) constituting said bag (S) there are at least three holes (A1, A2, A3), that is, at least one hole for each anchoring point or area for the handle (C).
In correspondence with said holes (A1, A2, A3), one single closure label (B) for said holes (A1, A2, A3) is applied and sealed on the surface (A4) of the film or support material (A) facing the inside of the bag (S).
As shown in Figure 5, said label (B) is sealed to said film or support material (A) along the perimeter (B1), shown in Figure 3 with a dotted line, by heat sealing or gluing (B11).
Said handle (C) is bound to the label (B) from outside the bag (S) in at least three areas (C1, C3, C5), that is, as shown in Figure 5, at the two opposite ends (C1, C5) and in an intermediate area (C3), corresponding to said three holes (A1, A2, A3) made on said film or support material (A) so that the film or support material (A) is actually sandwiched between the label (B) and said handle (C).
In particular, said handle (C) is, for example, heat sealed (D11, D21, D31) and/or glued (E 11, E21, E31) in at least three areas.
In particular, as shown in Figure 2, the embodiment foresees that said handle (C) is heat sealed to the label (B) in correspondence with the areas (D1, D3), for example substantially to C at both ends (C1, C5) and with an additional area (D2) substantially at the centre (C3) of the handle (C). Another embodiment may also foresee as an alternative or preferably in combination with said heat sealing method, that said handle (C) is bound to the label (B) by means of crown treatment and gluing in the areas (E1, E3) at the two opposite ends (C1, C5) and at least to one area (E2) substantially located at the centre (C3) of the handle (C).
In this way, as shown in figure 5, the handle (C) thus bound to the label (B) creates at least two loops (C2, C4) placed on both sides with respect to said central part (C3) of said handle (C).
As can be seen in Figures 6a and 6b, said handle (C) is placed on said bag (S) in a substantially central position along the height of the bag (S) or substantially aligned with the centre of gravity of the bag (S), in such a way that said central part (C3) of the handle (C) is substantially aligned with the midpoint of the height of bag (S) or the centre of gravity, while one of said loops (C2), or upper loop, is closer to said upper opening (S2) and the second of said loops (C4) or lower loop is closer to said bottom (S1).
To carry the bag (S) in a horizontal position, as shown in Figure 6a, the user grasps both of said loops (C2, C4) of the handle (C) with one hand, for example with two fingers in one loop (C2) and two fingers in the other loop (C4), distributing the tensile forces evenly on these three areas of attachment (C1, C3, C5) of the handle (C) to said label (B).
To further tip the bag (S), as in Figure 6b, tipping said top opening (S2) down to pour out the contents of the bag (S), the user can lift the bottom (S1) of the bag (S) acting on said lower loop (C4), which is offset from the centre of gravity or midpoint of the bag (S).
Therefore with reference to the preceding description and the attached diagrams the following claims are made.

Claims

Container bag (S) comprising:
• at least one film or support material (A) constituting said bag (S), on which at least two holes (A1, A3) are made,

• a closure label (B) for said holes (A1, A3) applied to the surface (A4) of the film (A) facing the inside of the bag (S),

• at least one handle (C) comprising at least one strip directly or indirectly bound to said bag (S) and positioned on one side (S4) of the bag (S), where said handle (C) is bound to said label (B) from outside the bag (S) in at least two areas (C1, C5) in correspondence with said two holes (A1, A3) of said film or support material (A) that is substantially sandwiched between said label (B) and said handle (C),
characterized in that on said film or support material (A) constituting said bag (S) there are at least three of said holes (A1, A2, A3) with one single closure label (B) applied to the surface (A4) of the film (A) facing the inside of the bag (S), said label (B) being bound to said film or support material (A) at least along its outer edge (B1) by means of heat sealing or gluing (B11), wherein said handle (C) is bound to said one single label (B) from the outside of the bag (S) in at least three areas (C1, C3, C5), corresponding to said three holes (A1, A2, A3) of said film or support material (A), creating at least two loops (C2, C4) for grasping, and wherein said handle (C) is bound to said bag (S) in a substantially intermediate position along the height of the bag (S) itself.
Bag (S) according to claims 1, characterized in that said at least on strip of said handle (C) extends substantially parallel to the direction of the height of the bag (S), said strip being bound to said bag (S) at least at its two opposite ends (C1, C5) and at an intermediate part (C3), and where said central part (C3) of the handle (C) is substantially aligned with the midpoint of the height of the bag (S) or with the centre of gravity, while one of said loops (C2), or upper loop is closer to the upper opening (S2) of the bag (S), and the second of said loops (C4) or lower loop, is closer to the bottom (S1) of the bag (S).
Bag (S) according to the previous claims, characterized in that said handle (C) is bound to said label (B) in said areas (C1, C3, C5) by means of heat sealing (D11, D21, D31) and/or crown treatment and gluing (E11, E21, E31).
Bag (S) according to the previous claims, characterized in that said handle (C) is heat sealed to the label (B) corresponding to the areas (D1, D3) substantially in a C-shape at both opposing ends (C1, C5), and corresponding to a further area (D2) in an I-shape in the substantially central part (C3) of the handle (C).
Bag (S) according to claim 3, characterized in that said handle (C) is bound to said label (B) by means of crown treatment and gluing in correspondence with areas (E1, E3) at the two opposite ends (C1, C5) and in correspondence with at least one area (E2) substantially in the central part (C3) of the handle (C).