GB2348182A

GB2348182A - Bag for displaying a magazine therein

Info

Publication number: GB2348182A
Application number: GB0002990A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon Anthony Rose
Original assignee: C P S FLEXIBLE Ltd
Current assignee: C P S FLEXIBLE Ltd
Priority date: 2000-02-10
Filing date: 2000-02-10
Publication date: 2000-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 2020-02-10
Also published as: GB0002990D0; GB2348182B

Abstract

Packaging for displaying an item such as a magazine, journal or periodical 10 comprises a bag scaled along three edges 2, 5 , one of which is a sealed header portion 2 where the seal is deep enough to allow for the printing of information thereon. The side edges 5 can similarly be wide enough for printing thereon. An opening for insertion of magazines etc may be provided at a fourth edge 7 where an integral flap 6 may be held closed by adhesive tape 8, or an opening may be formed by slitting of the front or back sheet of the bag. The back may be of polyethylene and at least the front sheet 3 may be transparent. The bag may be divided into compartments. The printed information may be promotional.

Description

Display packaging The present invention relates to packing and display bags, particularly for articles such as magazines, journals and periodicals.

Printed information in the form of books, magazines, journals and periodicals are well known. It is often desirable when transporting and/or displaying such articles to provide individual packaging which prevents damage of the article therein.

Furthermore, packaging can be transparent so that the article therein is viewable. Also, packaging used for distributing or displaying printed information articles can have advertising material or slogans printed thereon. For example, magazines sold at newsagent stands or shelves are sometimes covered in packaging which (i) prevents damage and spoiling of the magazine, whether by environmental factors such as rain or sunlight, or by physical handling during examination by a prospective buyer and/or transportation ; (ii) is printed with advertising material; (iii) allows at least part of the front cover of the magazine to be viewed; (iv) forms a sealed unit to keep promotional offers such as CD's and booklets together with the magazine; and (v) prevents a person from accessing the magazine unless that person buys the magazine and removes the packaging (which is often advantageous for both the buyer and the seller).

Existing packaging bags can be made of plastics film such as polyethylene (polythene) or polypropylene. Simple packaging bags are constructed by wrapping a plastic film around an article and heat-sealing the edges. Alternatively, packaging bags may be sealed with heat seals at the two ends and along a longitudinal line at the rear or side. GB2160171 discloses an packaging bag with a closable opening at the upper end of the bag and a line of weakness, eg. a row of perforations, at the bottom of the bag which enables the bag to be opened. In GB2113651 a plastic bag made from three rectangular sheets of polyethylene with a pillow-slip construction, primarily for use as a garment protection device, is described.

Packaging bags can include features for additional functions. For example, US6016907 discloses a magazine cover with a compartment for a CD-ROM. In EP0197828 there is described a packaging bag having an opening bottom end with a linear pressure closing device, a perforated breakage line, and which is sealed at the top end to include an interlining cardboard tongue. This tongue insertion can be printed with information visible through the bag, and can have a perforation through which the arm unit of a display unit can pass.

The existing packaging bags suffer from a number of disadvantages which are becoming increasingly apparent in an expanding and competitive market. For example, simple packaging bags do not attract the attention of the consumer, whereas more complicated bags with additional features may be expensive to manufacture and assemble. In particular, it is known to provide packaging bags which have advertising material or slogans printed thereon. A problem encountered with such packaging bags is that the information printed thereon partially obscures the magazine contained within the packaging bag. The present invention addresses these problems by providing an improved and more effective packaging bag.

According to the present invention there is provided a bag for the storage display of a magazine and/or like articles comprising front and back sheets, the sheets sealed along three edges, one sealed edge forming a sealed header portion of width sufficient to allow for printing of information thereon, and an opening for insertion of the magazine and like articles.

The information printed onto the sealed header portion may comprise colour printing, and may include the title and/or description of the magazine and/or like article within the bag. The sealed header portion allows the top of the bag to project above the top end of the magazine and/or like article therein, and therefore information printed on the sealed header portion will be able to clearly advertise the contents of the bag without obscuring any portion of the cover (s) of the magazine.

The bag may further comprise one or two side edges forming sealed side portions of width sufficient to allow for printing of information thereon.

The bag may comprise one sheet which is longer than the other, forming a flap at the bottom of the bag which can be folded over a bottom opening to close the opening in the folded position. An adhesive portion may attach the flap to the shorter sheet in the folded position. The longer sheet may form the front of the bag. Said flap may have an adhesive portion for attachment to the shorter sheet in the folded position.

Alternatively, the shorter sheet may have an adhesive portion for attachment to the flap in the folded position. The adhesive portion may comprise tape having a backing strip releasibly attached thereto. Alternatively, the adhesive portion may comprise a linear pressure closure device with corresponding receiving unit on the other sheet. The flap may be attached to the packaging by heat-sealing in the folded position.

The bag may comprise a fourth sealed edge, wherein the opening is formed by slitting either front or back sheets. The opening thus formed may be closed using an adhesive strip or by a heat-sealed strip.

The bag may further comprise an additional intermediate sheet or sealed compartments to allow for more than one magazine and/or like articles to be contained separately within the bag. For example, two magazines and/or like articles may be packaged in the bag with their front covers adjacent (side-by-side), or stacked one on top of the other.

The sheets of the bag may comprise polyethylene. Other plastic materials are well known in the field and may also be used. Each sheet of the bag may be of sufficient thickness to provide the required rigidity and/or strength. Each sheet of the bag may be within the range of about 25 to 75 microns in thickness. Each sheet of the bag may be about 50 microns in thickness. The sealed header portion and/or sealed side portion, being a combination of two separate sheets, may be more rigid that the single front and back sheets.

The sealed header and/or edge portion of the bag may be 2 to 6 cm in width.

The width of the sealed header or edge portion may be defined as the minimum distance from the outer perimeter of the bag to the beginning of the interior space defined by the bag edge. The sealed header portion will project above the contents of the bag.

At least the front sheet of bag may be transparent so that the bag contents are visible. The front sheet may be printed on so that only part of the bag contents are visible. The back sheet of the bag may be transparent. The back sheet of the bag may be printed on.

Further provided according to the present invention is a bag according to the present application in combination with a magazine and/or like article disposed therein.

Also provided according to the present invention is a method of continuous manufacture of a succession of bags according to the present application wherein the sheets are fed from reels through devices which cut and heat seal the sheets into the required size and form, and optionally a device which prints information onto the sealed header and/or side portion.

Further provided according to the present invention is the use of a bag according to the present application for storage display of a magazine and/or like articles.

The present invention will be further apparent from the following figures and description which show, by way of example only, a bag for storage display of a magazine.

Of the figures: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a magazine bag; Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the magazine bag depicted in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a side sectional view of the magazine bag depicted in Figures 1 and 2.

Although the present invention is not restricted for use with magazines (including periodicals, journals and the like), it will be highly advantageous for the storage and display of magazines. Figure 1 shows the front view 100 of a packaging bag 1 containing a magazine 10. Bag 1 has a sealed header portion 2 on which advertising material is printed. The print comprises, in this embodiment, five different colours including one fluorescent colour (not visible in Figure 1). For example, the advertising material can include statements such as"FREE magazine included-2 for the price of 1" or"FREE lipstick sample inside". The sealed header portion 2 is sealed laterally for strength.

The front sheet 3 of bag 1 is transparent and does not obscure any part of the cover of magazine 10. The full impact of the cover of magazine 10 is therefore not lost upon a consumer, and furthermore the advertising slogan on the sealed header portion 2 can serve to draw the attention of a consumer to the magazine 10 itself.

The side edges 5 of the bag 1, where the front sheet 3 and rear sheet 4 (see Figures 2 and 3) coincide, are sealed along their entire length. The front sheet 3 is, however, longer than rear sheet 3, forming a lip or flap 6 at the bottom of the bag. In the folded position, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the flap 6 wraps over the bottom opening 7 of bag 1.

The rear view 200 of bag 1 demonstrates how the flap 6 is held against the rear sheet 4 by a strip 8 of adhesive tape. The strip 8 can be removed or slit to allow unfolding of the flap 6 and access to the magazine 10 via the bottom opening 7. If desired, the flap 6 can be refolded and reattached to the rear sheet 4 so that bottom opening 7 becomes resealed.

A side section 300 of bag 1 (Figure 3) shows how front sheet 3 and rear sheet 4 are sealed laterally to form a sealed header portion 2 which is stronger then the individual sheets. The sealed header portion 2 will therefore have an improved shelf life and be able to withstand manipulation and maintain itself in an upright position as shown in Figure 1 to 3.

The bag 1 illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 is manufactured from two polyethylene sheets 3 and 4, each 50 microns (5 x 10-5 m) thick. The bag 1 is 230 mm (width) by 285 mm (length), designed to hold a magazine 10 of approximately"A4"size, and has a sealed header portion 2 of 35 mm, and a flap 6 of 40 mm. Prior to sealing, therefore, front sheet 3 would be a total of 360 mm (285 mm + 35 mm + 40 mm) in length while rear sheet 4 would be a total of 320 mm (285 mm + 3 5 mm) in length.

Naturally, the specific embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 is only one example of the potential applications of the present invention. The contents, size and presentation of a packaging bag according to the present invention can be varied without affecting the embodied principle.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A bag for the storage display of a magazine and/or like articles comprising front and back sheets, the sheets sealed along three edges, one sealed edge forming a sealed header portion of width sufficient to allow for printing of information thereon, and an opening for insertion of the magazine and like articles.
2. A bag according to claim 1, further comprising one or two side edges forming sealed side portions of width sufficient to allow for printing of information thereon.
3. A bag according to either of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein one sheet is longer than the other, forming a flap at the bottom of the bag which can be folded over a bottom opening to close the opening in the folded position.
4. A bag according to claim 3 wherein an adhesive portion attaches the flap to the shorter sheet in the folded position.
5. A bag according to claim 4 wherein the adhesive portion comprises tape having a backing strip releasibly attached thereto.
6. A bag according to either of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a fourth sealed edge, wherein the opening is formed by slitting either front or back sheets.
7. A bag according to any of the previous claims, further comprising an additional intermediate sheet or sealed compartments to allow for more than one magazine and/or like articles to be contained separately within the bag.
8. A bag according to any of the previous claims, wherein the sheets comprise polyethylene.
9. A bag according to claim 8, wherein the each sheet is within the range of 25 to 75 microns in thickness.
10. A bag according to either claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the each sheet is about 50 microns in thickness.
11. A bag according to any of the previous claims, wherein the sealed header and/or side portion is 2 to 6 cm in width.
12. A bag according to any of the previous claims, at least the front sheet being transparent so that the bag contents are visible.
13. A bag according to any of the previous claims in combination with a magazine and/or like article disposed therein.
14. A method of continuous manufacture of a succession of bags according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the sheets are fed from reels through devices which cut and heat seal the sheets into the required size and form, and optionally a device which prints information onto the sealed header and/or side portion.
15. Use of a bag according to any one of claims 1 to 12 for storage display of a magazine and/or like articles.