GB2028413A

GB2028413A - Bag Fasteners

Info

Publication number: GB2028413A
Application number: GB7834217A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: OVAC Ltd
Current assignee: OVAC Ltd
Priority date: 1978-08-22
Filing date: 1978-08-22
Publication date: 1980-03-05

Abstract

The invention provides a closure fastener for plastic bags, comprising a plate formed with a central hole having radial slots 14 opening from the hole so that the mouth of the bag may be gathered into a bundle and pushed through the hole, with accompanying deflection of the material 24 of the plate lying between the slots. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fasteners This invention relates to fasteners for polythene and like bags. When such bags are used for storing food in deep 'freeze cabinets, particularly on a domestic scale, it is necessary or desirable to remove air from the bag for several reasons. One reason is that the relatively inflated bag takes up more space, and another reason is that the air in the bag contains moisture which will be wasteful to freeze and add unnecessary ice to the food contents, producing water and hence dilution of the contents when completely thawed, or as undesirable ice crystals with partly thawed foodstuffs, e.g. ice cream.

Conventional domestic practice is to insert a drinking straw into the bag, bundle the mouth of the bag as a neck around the straw, apply a length of flexible material such as a wire embedded in a plastics tape as a loose tie around the neck, suck out the air, and then pull the tie tight as the straw is pulled out. This takes time and calls for manual dexterity. In practice the ties are not readily reusable and care has to be taken that the wire ends do not puncture the bags.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved fastener which simplies the procedure and avoid the problems.

In accordance with the present invention a fastener for polythene and like bags comprises a plate formed with an aperture therethrough and with a number of slots through the material of the plate opening from the aperture generally radially thereof.

In use, the material of the bag about the mouth of the same may be formed into a bundle and pushed through the aperture, and then as the material is pulled further through so as to take the plate towards the bottom of the bag, the parts fastened between the slots deflect to allow the movement but recover elasticaily subsequently, and this effectively fastens the bag against loss of contents. It is also found that the bag may be squeezed gently to eject air through the neck which is trapped in the fastener, and the bag effectively forms a valve allowing such release.

Preferably the plate comprises a rectangular or substantially circular area formed with the aperture centrally therein, and a radially extending lug which can be gripped by the fingers during the application of the fastener, and similarly during release of the fastener. Release is effected simply by holding the bag and moving the fastener towards the mouth of the bag.

Preferably the plate is made of a synthetic resinous material such as polypropylene or high density polythene.

The plates may be formed from such plastics materials by injection moulding, or by stamping from plastics sheet.

The thickness of the plate may be variable according to the other dimensions, and the latter may also be variable according to the size of bag which is to be fastened. Typically the thickness will be in the range of from 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm, without limitation.

The other dimensions of the plate, again without limitation, may be of the order of 25 mm diameter for the circuiar area, from 50 to 75 mm for the projecting lug which is to be grasped by the fingers, about 5 mm for the aperture, and the slots extending from the apertures may be about 10 mm-1 5 mm long and say 1 mm wide.

It is preferred to employ four slots extending radially from the aperture and more or less equispaced about the same, but a smaller or larger number can be used.

Alternatively, instead of the slote extending radially from a central aperture, the aperture may be in the form of an elongated slot extending between the free ends of Ifor example) a pair of plate-like portions, and the lateral edges of the plate-like portions may be separated from the remainder of the material by similar slots or slits.

Hence, a somewhat E shaped slot may be provided by the moulding process or by a punching operation. In this event, the material of the bag about the mouth of the same may be formed into a bundle and pushed through the slots, and the two plate-like areas may hinge whilst the material continues to be pulled through, recovering their initial position, at least in part, due to the inherent resilience of the plastics material used, and generally such a fastener will operate in the same way as the ones previously described herein.

The fasteners may be made in a series of different colours to give an indication of the contents of the bags, for example red for meats, blue for fruit and so on. Further, an area of each fastener may be provided for marking so as to indicate the contents, for example one or both faces of the lug may be provided with a slightly roughened surface to enable this to be written on by pencil or the like.

The invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a fastener; Fig. 2 is a fragnentary cross-section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a fastener in use; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged scale fragmentary sectional elevation again showing the fastener in use.

As seen in Fig. 1, there is a plate 10 formed with a central hole 12 and a series of (in this instance equispaced slots 14 opening radially of the central hole 12. The plate 10 is integral with the radially extending lug 16 having a slightly roughened area 1 8 for convenience in writing on the plastics material for which the fastener is made. The slots may be parallel sided or tapered, as seen in Fig. 2. This may simplify the action of pushing of the bag neck through the slots whilst maintaining a good closure subsequently.

Fig. 3 shows the plastic bag 20 with the portion adjacent the mouth of the bag formed into a bundle which has been pushed through the central aperture in a fastener, showing how the portion 22 may be pulled with one hand whilst the fastener is moved towards the base of the bag with the other hand.

Fig. 4 shows how the areas 24 lying between each two adjacent radial slots deform and deflect during movement of the fastener in the direction of the arrow A in the Fig. Subsequently these portions deflect to the dotted line position to provide a greater restriction in the neck formed.

Claims

1. A fastener for polythene and like bags comprising a plate formed with an aperture therethrough, and with a number of slots through the material of the plate opening from the aperture generally radially thereof.

2. A fastener as claimed in Claim 1, wherein a lug projects generally radially of the plate to provide a portion which can be gripped by the fingers of the user.

3. A fastener as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the lug is adapted to bear indicia relating to the bag contents.

4. A fastener as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the slots are of tapered cross-section.

5. A fastener as claimed in any preceding claim made of plastics material.

6. A fastener substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.