JP5221515B2 - Slider-operated bag with reclosable spout - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates generally to packaging for containing injectable contents such as breakfast cereals and snack foods. More particularly, the present invention relates to a flexible cereal bag with a reclosable spout.

  It is known to package breakfast cereals by sealing the dried cereal product in a plastic bag and then storing the filled bag in a paperboard box or carton. A disadvantage of this type of packaging is that once the sealed bag is opened, it is difficult to re-seal the bag while preventing moisture to maintain the freshness of the cereal product.

  In order to close a conventional cereal bag after opening the sealed upper end, the user typically folds the opened end of the bag one or more times. It is not appropriate to close the bag in this way. Users often simply push the open end of the bag into the box without properly sealing the opening. As the cereal product is removed and the bag is emptied, it becomes more difficult to wind or fold the empty portion of the bag in the back of the box or carton. However, even if the opened end of the plastic bag is folded or rolled up, the plastic material has a certain degree of hardness and is not sticky, so that an effective seal cannot be guaranteed.

  It is also difficult to open the sealed upper end of a conventional cereal bag without tearing or breaking the bag wall. In a bag that is opened unevenly, there may be protrusions that obstruct the flow of cereals when pouring cereals. When the bag is used as a lining in the box, when the box is returned to the upright position, the protruding portion of the bag that is torn open may cause the contents of the cereal to flow out into the gap between the bag and the box. .

  US Pat. No. 6,857,779 proposes to solve the above problems by providing a flexible bag with a reclosable spout. The bag has a first closed area with an upper end seal and a second closed area below the first closed area, the second closed area being an internal heat extending across a portion of the width of the bag. A seal and a reclosable fastener extending across the remainder of the width of the bag. The reclosable fastener extends obliquely upward from the end of the internal heat seal. The top seal portion of the bag above the internal heat seal and reclosable fastener can be removed by cutting with a tear line that extends the full width of the bag but always above the internal heat seal and diagonal fastener. When the diagonal fastener is opened, the open portion of the bag forms a reclosable spout. In other embodiments, fasteners are shown that are positioned horizontally, vertically and diagonally below. This reclosable fastener is a type of zipper used for sandwiches and food storage bags.

  US 2004/0208402 also discloses a packaging container having a reclosable spout that is in the form of a fastener strip extending partway through the full width of the packaging container. In one embodiment, the bag has side pleats and the fastener is W-shaped.

US Pat. No. 6,857,779 US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0208402 US Pat. No. 6,047,450 US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0146224 US Pat. No. 5,023,122

  None of the prior art documents discussed above disclose a slider-operated reclosable spout. For consumers, the use of a slider eliminates the need to align the connectable zipper profile before engaging it, so recloseable bags with slider-operated zippers are better than bags with sliderless zippers Generally desirable.

  There is a need for flexible bags with slider-operated reclosable spouts that can be mass produced using conventional packaging equipment.

The present invention relates to a flexible bag having a slider-operated recloseable spout.
One aspect of the present invention is a container having an internal volume and a spout accessible to the internal volume when open, and having first and second sides, wherein the spout is a first side. A container extending from the vicinity of the part toward the second side but not reaching the vicinity of the second side, and a flexible zipper length disposed to close the spout when the zipper is closed; A packaging container comprising a slider attached to a zipper and capable of moving in a closing direction for closing the zipper and moving in an opening direction for opening the zipper.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a container having an internal volume and having first and second walls, the first wall having a width dimension in a lateral direction when the first wall is in a planar state. And the width dimension is a distance between the first side end and the second side end of the first wall, and is coupled to the container in the first and second regions of the zipper / container coupling portion, A zipper comprising first and second zipper strips, the first zipper strip being connected to the first closure profile in the first closure profile and the first region of the zipper / container joint And a first flange having a second portion coupled to the first wall, wherein the second zipper strip includes a second closure profile and a second region of the zipper / container joint. 2 a zipper comprising a second flange having a portion connected to the closed profile and another portion coupled to the second wall; A slider attached to the first and second closing profiles, wherein the first and second closing profiles are connectable to each other to close the zipper when the slider moves in the closing direction, and the slider is in the opening direction A slider that is separable from each other to open the zipper when moving to, a first slider end stop arranged to prevent the slider from moving further in the closing direction, and a slider in the opening direction A packaging container comprising a second slider end stop arranged to prevent further movement, wherein the distance between the first slider end stop and the first side end is the second slider end A package that is substantially less than the distance between the stop and the second side end, and the slider is movable between the first slider end stop and the second slider end stop. It is a container.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an upper end seal having a predetermined length, a bottom seal, and a first vertical extending from the upper end seal to the bottom seal to form a cylindrical body having both ends closed and an internal volume. A bag-making film to be sealed, a zipper having first and second interconnectable zipper strips disposed within the interior volume and coupled to opposite portions of the tubular body, and a slider attached to the zipper The first and second zipper strips are connectable to each other to close the zipper when the slider moves in the closing direction and from each other to open the zipper when the slider moves in the opening direction A slider that is separable, a first slider end stop arranged to prevent the slider from further moving in the closing direction, and a slider A packaging container comprising a second slider end stop arranged to prevent further movement in the opening direction, wherein the distance between the first slider end stop and one end of the upper end seal is The slider is a packaging container that is movable between the first slider end stop and the second slider end stop substantially less than the distance between the two slider end stops and the other end of the top seal. .
Other aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following specification and claims.

  In the drawings referred to below, the same reference numerals are used for similar parts in different drawings.

  Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described. The following packaging containers are each manufactured on a VFFS machine. Each disclosed embodiment comprises a tubular body of flexible packaging material, such as a thermoplastic bag-making film, which is wrapped longitudinally around the solid tubular body and facing longitudinally. The edges are formed by, for example, sealing by a conventional conductive heat sealing method. A lap seal or a fin seal can be formed. The cylindrical body thus obtained is sealed laterally to form a bottom seal. The product is then filled into the pocket above the bottom seal. Thereafter, the tubular body is again sealed laterally at a height above the product filling line to form an upper end seal. The top and bottom lateral seals are typically formed by a conductive heat sealing method that reciprocates a heated seal bar. Make other seals as described in detail below.

  The embodiment disclosed below also incorporates a structure capable of forming a pour spout that extends from one side of the packaging container to the other side but on the other side. Can be reclosed by a slider-operated zipper fastener that does not reach. The zipper preferably has a length that is less than half the width of the packaging container.

  Techniques are known for adding slider-operated zippers in the transverse direction at intervals (on residence time) on a web of bag-making film that advances intermittently in a department upstream of the VFFS machine. The tip of the slider-carrying fastener tape is oriented transversely so as to cover the tensioned portion of the web of bag-making film located upstream of the VFFS machine. Thereafter, the tip of the fastener tape is cut off from the remaining portion of the slider-carrying fastener tape to form a slider / zip assembly that mates with the web. The equipment for manufacturing the slider-carrying fastener tape may be arranged on the same line as the zipper additional section. Alternatively, the slider-carrying fastener tape may be manufactured at a different location, wrapped around a supply reel that is transported to a location where the VFFS machine is located, and dispensed from the supply reel during operation of the VFFS machine.

  The fastener tape includes a pair of zipper strips, each zipper strip being formed by extruding a thermoplastic material for forming a closure profile and a zipper flange, respectively, connected to each zipper strip. The closed profile has complementary shapes that connect, and this shape is constant in the longitudinal direction. The fastener tape may be manufactured using a process of simultaneously forming the slider end stopper structure and sealing the zipper flange with a gap. This forming / sealing operation is generally performed by applying ultrasonic energy to the zipper material. However, instead of ultrasonic energy, a heat or conductive heat sealing method may be used. When sufficient energy (ultrasonic or thermal) energy is applied to the zipper or closure profile in the first region, and sufficient to the zipper flange in the second region, the plastic material becomes flexible and fused in both regions. The fused material forms a molten region upon cooling. Each melting region has a plane of symmetry, and the plane of symmetry is disposed along the fastener tape with an interval corresponding to the length of one zipper. Each melt region also has a shape for forming a pair of slider end stops where the backs are joined together until the fastener tape is cut along the symmetry plane at the zipper addition. Alternatively, the zipper strips may be melted, and a pair of clips or other slider end stop devices may be attached to the melt zone of each zipper strip. Between the slider end stop each other attached, it is performed after a vertical cut through the melting region.

  To manufacture the embodiments disclosed herein, the tip of a fastener tape comprising a zipper strip to be connected and a slider attached to the zipper strip is advanced laterally toward the zipper add-on section. Let The sliders are arranged at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the tape, and one slider is arranged for each zipper length portion of the fastener tape. In the zipper additional section, the length of the front end zipper of the fastener tape to which the slider is attached is cut off from the remaining portion of the fastener tape. While securing the web, the flange of one zipper strip of the cut-off portion is bonded to the web (eg, by conductive heat sealing). The other zipper strip is held in place if its closure profile is connected to the closure profile of the zipper strip connected to the web. According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the zipper is oriented transversely on the web, and in the finished packaging container, the zipper is not centered with respect to both sides of the packaging container, but on one side. Part of or near the width of the packaging container, i.e., the distance between the far end of the zipper and the far side of the packaging container is between the near end of the zipper and the near side of the packaging container. It has a length and arrangement that is greater than the distance. The zipper preferably terminates at or near the vertical center line of the packaging container, i.e., the length of the zipper is less than half the width of the finished packaging container.

  After adding the zipper, the zipper carrying web is pulled through the VFFS machine by a distance corresponding to the height of one packaging container, ie advanced in the flow direction. As the zipper-carrying web advances intermittently through the VFFS machine, the forming, filling and sealing steps described so far are performed. After forming and filling, the flange of the other zipper strip is bonded to the web. In some embodiments (see description below for the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 9), a vertical seal is also formed that extends from the top seal to at least the zipper flange / web seal. Optionally, such embodiments may also be provided with a peelable seal. The peelable seal may be above or below the slider operated zipper.

  A packaging container according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 shows a front view, and FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view along the plane indicated by line 2-2 in FIG. This packaging container comprises a container 2 that is selectively placed in a paper box, which is shown in FIG. 1 by a large rectangular dotted line 64 surrounding the container 2. In this embodiment, the container 2 includes a front wall 12 connected to a rear wall (not shown in FIG. 1 and indicated by reference numeral 14 in FIG. 2) at each of the bent portions on both sides of the packaging container. The upper and lower boundary portions of the front and rear walls are joined together by a conductive heat sealing method to form a top seal 16 (shown by a hatched area in FIG. 1 and a banded area indicated by X in FIG. 2). Similarly, the boundary between the bottom of the front and rear walls is formed by a conductive heat sealing method to form a bottom seal 18 (also indicated by a hatched area in FIG. 1 and indicated by a cross in FIG. 2). Combined. This rear wall is when the borders facing each other of the web of the bag-making film wound around the solid tubular body of the VFFS machine are heat welded to form a tubular body as described above. A fin seal or lap seal (not shown in FIG. 1).

  The packaging container shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a slider / zipper assembly 4 that extends from near the left side of the container and has a length that is less than half the width of the front wall 12. The assembly 4 includes a pair of zipper strips 6 and 8 and a slider 10 attached to the pair of strips. Since the slider 10 is a straddling type and does not have a separating finger, it is necessary to provide slider end stops at both ends of the zipper. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the ends of the zipper strips 6 and 8 are welded together and deformed at each end to form slider end stops 38 and 40, respectively. It is movable along the zipper between the end stops. Alternatively, a clip or other slider end stop device can be attached to the end of the zipper. However, in the present invention, it is not necessary to use a straddle-type slider. Apart from this, it is also possible to adopt a slider with a plow or a separating finger, in which case the zipper strip joint at the end of the zipper serves as a slider end stop Take on.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the zipper has a pair of connectable zipper strips 6, 8 each having a closed profile 34, 30 and a zipper connected at one end to each closed profile and extending from each closed profile. And flanges 36 and 32. The zipper flange 32 is heat sealed to the front wall 12 in a banded area of the joint 24 that extends generally parallel to the closure profile 30. Similarly, the zipper flange 36 is heat sealed to the rear wall 14 in a banded area of the joint 26 that extends generally parallel to the closure profile 34. The closure profiles 30, 34 have a complementary (ie, connected) shape. Although FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of ridges and grooves, the zipper strip closure profile may be any shape. The slider / zip assembly is preferably of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,450, in which the slider does not have a separating finger and the closed profile completely encloses the zipper. When closed, moisture does not pass even if it is not airtight. Alternatively, the zipper may comprise hook-shaped or ball-shaped closure elements that interlock with each other. The zipper strips 6, 8 are made of a thermoplastic material. Desirable zipper material is polyethylene or polypropylene. In order to facilitate the bonding of the zipper flange to the container wall, the zipper flange may have a surface layer of sealant that melts at a temperature below the melting point of the material comprising the rest of the zipper.

  The closing profiles 30, 34 are engaged with each other by moving the slider 10 in the closing direction from one end of the zipper towards the other end. On the contrary, the closing profiles 30, 34 are separated from each other by moving the slider 10 in the opposite direction. The slider 10 may be formed by welding a plurality of parts, or the parts may be configured to be snap-engaged. Further, the slider may have an integral structure. The slider can be created using a desired method such as injection molding. The slider can be made from a suitable resin such as nylon, polypropylene, polystyrene, acetal, polyketone, polybutylene terephthalate, high density polyethylene, polycarbonate or ABS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the container 2 has a first line 42 (shown in dotted lines) of weakened tear resistance extending from the left end of the front wall 12 to the end of the zipper and from the upper end of the front wall. A weak tear resistance second line 44 (also indicated by a dotted line) extending to the end of the weak tear resistance first line 42. The tear line 42 is positioned generally parallel to the closed profile 30 and slightly lower than the closed profile 30, while the tear line 44 is positioned generally vertical, ie, parallel to the side edges of the front wall 12. . As shown in FIG. 1, the tear line 44 is generally perpendicular to the tear line 42 when the zipper is positioned generally horizontally. The rear wall has a tear line (not shown in FIG. 1) that is a mirror image of the tear wall of the front wall. FIG. 2 shows the horizontal tear line of the rear wall 14, which is located at the same height as the tear line 42 of the front wall 12, i.e. lower than the closure profiles 30, 34 and lower than the lowest part of the slider 10. 42 'is shown. Such tear lines in the front and rear walls facilitate the disconnection of the corners of the container (including a portion of the top seal 16), thereby exposing the slider 10 and the closure profiles 30,34. FIG. 4 shows a packaging container identical to the packaging container of FIG. 1, but the corners of the container are cut along the tear line and the paper box is not shown. In place of the horizontal and vertical tear lines intersecting at right angles, a curved or oblique tear line connecting the sections may be provided in place of the right angle crossing shown in FIG. 1 to facilitate separating the corners of the container. . The tear line can be formed by conventional means including lines such as perforations and laser scoring.

  The exposed zipper shown in FIG. 4 forms a reclosable spout. When the slider is in a position where it abuts against the slider end stop 38 (shown by the solid rectangular line 10 in FIG. 4), the zipper closes. When the slider is in a position where it abuts against the slider end stop 40 (indicated by the dotted rectangular line 10 in FIG. 4), the zipper opens completely.

  The container 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 extends from the top seal 16 to the peelable seal 20 and a generally horizontal peel seal 20 that extends at a height lower than the zipper flange and by the length of the zipper. And a substantially vertical seal 22 (alternatively, the peelable seal 20 may be formed between the zipper flanges). The peelable seal 20 applies a predetermined amount of heat and pressure for a time sufficient to activate the strip of strippable seal material, for example, to activate the peelable seal material without forming a permanent seal. It is formed by adding. The vertical seal 22 is formed by joining a part of each of the front wall and the rear wall in the band-like area, for example, by a conductive heat sealing method. The peelable seal 20 and the vertical seal 22 connected to the top seal 16, the bottom seal 18 and the vertical fin or lap seal (not shown) forming the cylindrical body are a product P such as dry cereal (see FIG. 2). ) To provide a hermetic boundary line that defines a compartment for housing. Like top seal 16, peelable seal 20 and vertical seal 22 are formed after filling the compartment or pocket through the open top of the container. The peelable seal 20 also provides tamper evidence. Even after the corners of the container have been cut and the zipper opened, an unmodified peelable seal prevents access to the product compartment and must be removed by the consumer. The vertical seal 22 peels off the peelable seal and prevents the product from entering the internal volume above the zipper and the internal volume between the zipper and the peelable seal, except when the zipper is opened.

  Optionally, the vertical seal may hold the slider end stop 40 and cover a portion of the zipper to correspond to the flange portion between the front and rear walls. According to an alternative embodiment, the vertical seal 22 may terminate in the vicinity of the slider end stop 40 and the vertical peelable seal is shortened from the end of the horizontal peelable seal 20. It is formed to extend to the end of the vertical seal so that such various seals are adjacent without forming a gap.

  In accordance with yet another embodiment, the vertical seal 22 can be removed and replaced by a strip 28 (a dashed line in FIG. 1) that is an extension of the horizontal strip 24 at the junction of the zipper flange and the container wall. ), The front and rear walls of the container can be heat sealed. A horizontal seal 28 can be formed at the same time that the second zipper flange is sealed to the web after filling the pocket. A horizontal seal 28 extends to the back side of the bag and prevents the product from exiting the container except from an open zipper. With the formation of the horizontal seal 28, the peelable seal 20 can extend across the full width of the container. The peelable seal extension 20 'is shown in phantom in FIG. According to this change, after the corner of the container is cut off and the zipper is opened, the peelable seal 20 can be peeled off halfway through the width of the bag or over the entire width of the bag. The horizontal seal 28 prevents products other than those that have passed through the open zipper from entering the space above the zipper, i.e., around the zipper in the middle of the container.

  As apparent from the above description, the container 2 is first sealed, the slider 10 is placed in the stop position (shown in FIG. 1) for closing the zipper, and the peelable seal 20 is left as it is. In order to remove the product from the sealed container, the container corner is first cut along the tear line, then the slider is moved to the stop position (indicated by the rectangular dotted line 10 in FIG. 4) where the zipper opens, and finally the product compartment Remove the peelable seal 20 to gain access. When exposed open zipper is used as a spout, the box 64 with the packaging container inside is turned upside down, and the product that can be poured (eg cereal) is poured through the peelable peelable seal and then the open zipper Can do.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The only difference between the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the fin seal 46 is arranged on one side of the container in place of the lower center of the rear wall. The fin seal 46 extends from the top seal 16 to the bottom seal 18.

  According to other embodiments of the invention, the sides of the container may be pleated. The technology for making pleated bags on VFFS machines is well known, and it faces and reciprocates to form creases on both sides of the bag-making film cylinder before it is filled with product. It is common to use pleats that move. Each side pleat comprises a pair of pleat panels connected to each other at the central fold of the pleat and respectively connected to the front and rear walls at each side of the container. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a pleated bag, the cross-section being along a horizontal plane intersecting the zipper flanges 32, 36, each of the zipper flanges 32, 36 each having a front wall 12 of the container as previously described. And coupled to the rear wall 14. The rear wall 14 incorporates a wrap seal 21 that is formed by wrapping a web of bag-making film around the solid tubular body of the VFFS machine to determine the width of the web and the solid tubular body. The diameter is chosen so that the web borders can overlap and bond with each other as shown. FIG. 5 also shows a cross-section of the vertical seal 22 formed by joining the front wall 12 to the rear wall 14 in the strip-like area in the manner described so far. The pleated container has side pleats 50, 52. The side pleats 50 include pleat panels 54, 56 that are connected to each other at the central folds of the side pleats 50. The side pleats 52 include pleat panels 58, 60 connected at the central folds of the side pleats 52. Further, the pleat panels 54 and 58 are connected to the side ends of the rear wall 14 by the respective fold portions, while the pleat panels 56 and 60 are respectively connected to the side ends of the front wall 12 by the respective fold portions.

  Although not shown in FIG. 5, the top of the pleat panels 54, 56 is clamped by one end of the top seal of the container and the top of the pleat panels 58, 60 is the other end of the top seal of the container. It can be pressed with. Similarly, the lowermost portion of the pleat panels 54, 56 is clamped at one end of the bottom seal of the container and the lowermost portion of the pleat panels 58, 60 is pressed at the other end of the bottom seal of the container. The zipper of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 differs from the zipper incorporated in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that the end strips of the zipper adjacent to the pleats 50 are not joined together. During manufacture, the slider / zipper assembly is installed with the slider in a position where the zipper is partially open, which partially opens the pleats 50 as shown in FIG. Separated from the slider end stop on the side of the packaging container by a distance sufficient to fold inward between the strips. However, to prevent the slider from slipping off the end of the zipper while reclosing the spout, do one or each of the unbound zipper end strips form a slider end stop on the closed profile? It is necessary to install. At the other end of the zipper adjacent to the vertical seal 22, the zipper end strips can be joined together to deform into a slider end stop shape, or the slider end stop can be attached to the area of the joint. . U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0146224, whose title is "Recloseable Wrapped Packaging Container with Slider Operated Zipper", describes each zipper strip at one end of a zipper used for a pleated bag. A slider operated zipper is disclosed having separate slider end stops on the strip. The pleated packaging container shown in FIG. 5 of the present specification can incorporate a slider end stop having the same or similar structure.

  According to yet another aspect of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the horizontal tear lines (reference numerals 42, 42 ′ in FIG. 2) of the front wall 12 and the rear wall 14 need to extend to the side folds 50. In this case, the pleat panels 54, 56 each have a horizontal tear line located at a lower height than the zipper closure, the tear line being met at the central fold of the pleat. Thus, when the container corners are cut off and the slider / zip assembly is exposed, the upper portions of the pleat panels 54, 56 are also cut off. As a result, the pleat panels 54 and 56 do not interfere with the slider when the slider is moved to a position where the zipper is completely closed.

  Optionally, the pleated bag partially shown in FIG. 5 may comprise a peelable seal similar to the peelable seal 20 shown in FIG. 1 differs from the peelable seal 20 shown in FIG. 1 in that the peelable seal needs to branch at the end adjacent to the side pleats 50, and one of the peelable seal branches is a pleated panel. 54 and seal the gap between the opposing portions of the rear wall 14 and the other branch of the peelable seal provides a gap between a portion of the pleat panel 56 and the opposing portion of the front wall 12. Seal. Below the height of the internal peelable seal, the bag can be expanded to the maximum by the side pleats, thereby increasing the amount of product that can be stored in the packaging container.

  Alternatively, the end strips of the zipper adjacent to the side pleats can be joined and between the front wall 12 and the pleat panel 56 (shown in FIG. 6) or the rear wall 14 and the pleat panel 54. (Not shown). In this case, each part of the rear wall 14 and the pleat panels 54, 56 are joined together at the same height as the area where the zipper flange 36 is joined to the rear wall 14 to form a region 62 where the four layers are joined. . With this configuration, in the completed packaging container, the slider can be placed in the zipper fully closed position, that is, between the pleat panel 54 and the front wall 12.

  In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a modified evidence other than a peelable seal can be provided therein. FIG. 7 shows a packaging container incorporating a reclosable spout and modified evidence provided inside other than the peelable seal. The zipper assembly includes a pair of zipper strips joined at the ends, and the zipper is attached with a slider that is movable along the zipper between the zipper joints at both ends. One zipper strip includes a closure profile 30 and a long flange 32 ′ connected to the closure profile 30, and the other zipper part is connected to the closure profile 34 and the closure profile 34. Short flange 36 to be provided. The long and short flanges are formed by cutting a continuous web that is extruded along the closed profile and connected to the closed profile.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the zipper flange 36 is coupled to the rear wall 14 by a permanent heat seal 72. A zipper flange 32 ′ that is longer than the flange 36 is coupled to the front wall 12 by permanent heat seals 66, 68. The front end of the flange 32 ′ is bent and joined to the rear wall 14 by a permanent heat seal 70 located below the seal 72. Each of the seals 66, 68, 70, 72 is a bond, such as a band of molten material, that extends the length of the zipper. In this disclosed embodiment, seals 66, 68 are generally parallel to each other, and seals 70, 72 are also generally parallel to each other. Further, the seals 66 and 72 are generally opposed to each other except for a certain height, and the seals 68 and 70 are generally opposed to each other at a lower height. The long flange 32 ′ may include a tear line at the fold 74. The tip of the flange 32 'is separated from the remaining portion of the flange 32' when the tear line of the fold 74 is torn. The tear line of the fold 74 may take the form of a score line or a fouling line in the extruded thermoplastic material of the flange, or may take the form of a weak tear resistance along a line that is impermeable to air. Alternatively, the tear line may comprise a perforation line. In the latter case, the perforation line is covered by a pliable strip of lightweight material (not shown in FIG. 7) as disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,023,122 to maintain the flange 32 'barrier. Is called. This fragile strip seals the perforation, but tears immediately when the perforated flange is torn along the perforation. The sealing strip may be heat sealed to a perforated flange or may be back-side adhesive so that the strip can be bonded to the flange. Alternatively, the sealing strip may be provided by extruding a thin layer of material over the perforation. Details of the method of manufacturing the sealing strip covering the perforations of the substrate are generally disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,023,122. If the long flange 32 'is intact, an airtight seal will occur. By squeezing the flange 32 'with the fold 74, the tear line can be torn, thereby providing access to the product compartment.

  The drawing shows a zipper arranged substantially laterally, i.e. parallel to the top and bottom seals of the bag, but the zipper is arranged obliquely separately (preferably in the range of 5 to 45 degrees). Alternatively, the height of the zipper increases as the slider moves from the zipper closed position (eg, near the side edge of the bag) to the fully open zipper position (eg, near the vertical seal). In this case, the area of the web / zipper joint (eg, reference numeral 24 in FIG. 1) is also inclined, and the tear line (eg, reference numeral 42 in FIG. 1) is the same.

  8 and 9, a peelable seal 20 can be placed on the consumer side instead of the product side of the zipper as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, both ends of the strip of peelable sealing material are each joined to a portion of the front wall 12 and the rear wall 14. The front wall 12 and the rear wall 14 may extend upward to form pulling flanges 76, 78 that can be pulled separately by the consumer to remove the peelable seal 20. . In this embodiment, it is sufficient that the vertical seal 22 extends down to the region where the zipper flange is joined to the front and rear walls (eg, region 24 in FIG. 9). Desirable seal 20 is preferably parallel to and in contact with top seal 16 'which extends to the right of vertical seal 22 (as viewed in FIG. 9). The vertical seal 22 is preferably a permanent heat seal of the type previously described. Further, the upper end seal 16 ′ may be a permanent heat seal formed by joining the front wall and the rear wall in a band shape. Alternatively, strips of peelable seal material may be applied over the entire width of the packaging container, and during the manufacturing process, the left side of the strip of peelable seal material activates the peelable seal material. The pressure may be heated to a predetermined temperature for a time to activate the peelable seal material. On the other hand, the right part of the strip of strippable sealing material is heated to a predetermined temperature under the pressure at which the strippable sealing material becomes a permanent heat seal for the time the strippable sealing material becomes a permanent heat seal. May be.

  One known method for creating a peelable seal is to laminate flakes on each opposing portion of the container. A peelable seal is formed by heat sealing the peelable sealable laminate. Thereafter, when the consumer pulls the opposing portions of the container or closure separately, the peelable seal is peeled off. During removal of the peelable seal, one or more layers of one stack are separated from other layers of the stack, but remain attached to another stack. As a result, at least one layer is further added to the other laminate even after the peelable seal is removed. Separation of one layer from this initial lamination is achieved by using layers of different polymer materials, with adjacent layers in this layer having different adhesion strengths. Peeling occurs between the two layers of the peelable seal having the lowest adhesive strength.

  Another known method of making a peelable seal is to deposit a layer of film on each opposing portion of the container, with one or both film layers containing impurities. When forming a peelable seal by heat sealing the film layers, the adhesion between the films is fragile due to surface contamination. The film layers separate from each other when peeling the peelable seal.

  One known heat sealable peelable sealant composition is ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, polyethylene wax and polypropylene. Another known composition is a blend of polybutylene and low density polyethylene. Many other peelable seal compositions are known.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the members of the present invention can be variously modified and replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope of the present invention. . In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation to the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the main scope thereof. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed as the best mode for carrying out the invention, but includes any embodiments within the scope of the appended claims.

  As used in the claims, the verb “bond” can be melted by either application of heat and / or pressure, application of ultrasonic energy, application of a layer of adhesive material or binder, adhesion or intervening bonding strips, etc. Means adhesion, sealing or adhesion. The term “wall” as used in the claims is used in a broad sense to include both individual parts of the packaging material and part of the folded part of the packaging material. Further, since no explicit language is used in a method claim that describes the order in which certain steps should be performed, it is not necessary for this method claim to consider that the steps are performed in the order described.

1 is a front view of a packaging container having a slider-operated recloseable spout and constructed according to one embodiment of the present invention. The diagonal lines in FIG. 1 (and other front views) indicate the position of the various seals. The dashed line indicates a seal provided in another embodiment. Sectional drawing of the packaging container shown in FIG. The cross section is along a vertical plane indicated by line 2-2 in FIG. Each successive X in FIG. 2 (and other cross-sectional views) indicates a permanent heat seal. FIG. 6 is a front view of a packaging container having a slider-operated recloseable spout and constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the packaging container shown in FIG. 1 after the upper corners of the front wall and the rear wall are cut away to expose the slider and the closing profile. A rectangular dotted line surrounding the packaging container indicates a paperboard box. Sectional drawing of the packaging container different from the packaging container shown in FIG. 1 in order to have a side part pleat. The cross section is along a horizontal plane intersecting the zipper flange. Sectional drawing of a part of a pleated packaging container according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. The cross section is along a horizontal plane intersecting the zipper flange. Sectional drawing of the part of the packaging container which has the structure which becomes evidence when it is modified under the closed shape member. The cross section is along a vertical plane intersecting the zipper. Sectional drawing of a part of a packaging container having a peelable seal above the closed profile. The cross section is along a vertical plane intersecting the zipper. The front view of the packaging container partially shown in FIG.

Claims (10)

A container having an internal volume and a spout accessible to the internal volume when open, and having first and second sides, the spout being located near the first side A container that extends toward the second side but does not reach the vicinity of the second side; and
A length of a flexible zipper having the same extension as the spout, wherein the spout is closed when the zipper is closed and opened when the zipper is opened; ,
A slider attached to the zipper, wherein the slider is movable in a closing direction to close the zipper , and when moving in the opening direction, the sliders are separable from each other to open the zipper ,
The container includes first and second walls. When the first wall is in a planar state, the container has a width dimension in a lateral direction, and the width dimension is defined by a first side end and a second side end of the first wall. And the distance between
The length of the zipper is substantially smaller than the width dimension of the first wall, the zipper includes first and second zipper strips, and the first zipper strip is a first closed shape. And a second flange having a portion connected to the first closed profile and another portion coupled to the container in a first region of the zipper / container coupling portion. The strip comprises a second closure profile and a second flange having a portion connected to the second closure profile and another portion coupled to the container in the second region of the zipper / container coupling. And
The slider is attached to the first and second closing profiles, the first and second closing profiles being connectable to each other to close the zipper when the slider moves in the closing direction; Separable from each other to open the zipper when the slider moves in the opening direction;
The portion of the first flange coupled to the container is coupled to a first portion of the first wall, and at least a portion of the portion of the second flange coupled to the container is a second portion of the second wall. Combined into one part,
The zipper length is less than half of the width dimension of the first wall;
Packaging container. The packaging container according to claim 1, further comprising a box surrounding the container. In the first region of the wall coupling portion extending from the vicinity of the upper ends of the first and second walls toward the bottom of the container, the second portion of the first wall is coupled to the second portion of the second wall; The first zipper strip extends from the vicinity of the first region of the wall joint portion to the vicinity of the first side end of the first wall, and in the second region of the wall joint portion substantially parallel to the lateral direction, A third portion of one wall is coupled to the third portion of the second wall, and the second region of the wall coupling portion is disposed above a height of an uppermost portion of the zipper, and at least the first portion of the first wall The packaging container of Claim 1 or Claim 2 extended from the 2nd side end to the said 1st area | region of a wall coupling part. And further comprising a layer of peelable sealing material having first and second sides, the layer of peelable sealing material from the first side end of the first wall to the first region of the wall joint. A fourth portion of the first wall is coupled to the first side of the layer of peelable seal material to form a peelable seal continuously extending to the peelable seal material; The packaging container of claim 3, wherein a fourth portion of the second wall is coupled to the second side of the layer. The packaging container according to claim 4, wherein the layer of the peelable sealing material is lower than the height of the first and second closed profiles of the zipper. The packaging container according to claim 4, wherein the layer of the peelable sealing material is higher than the height of the first and second closed profiles of the zipper. In the region of the wall joint generally parallel to the lateral direction, the second portion of the first wall is joined to the second portion of the second wall, and the second portions of the first and second walls are each The packaging container according to claim 1, wherein the packaging container is an extension of the first portion of the first and second walls and is collinear with the first portion of the first and second walls. And further comprising a layer of peelable sealing material having first and second sides and disposed below a height of the first and second closure profiles of the zipper, A layer extends continuously from the first side end of the first wall to the second side end, and a third portion of the first wall is formed of the peelable seal material to form a peelable seal. A first portion of said layer is coupled to said first side and a third portion of said second wall is coupled to said second side of said layer of peelable sealing material. A packaging container according to one claim. The container further includes a first pleat panel connected to the first wall, and a second pleat panel connected to the first pleat panel and the second wall, and is coupled to the container. A second part of the portion of the second flange is coupled to a portion of the first pleat panel, the second pleat panel having one side coupled to the second portion of the second wall and the other side. 9. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the portion comprises a portion coupled to the portion of the first pleat panel coupled to the second part of the portion of the second flange. Packaging containers. The container further includes a first pleat panel connected to the first wall, a second pleat panel connected to the first pleat panel and the second wall, and the first and second pleats. Each of the panels has a height higher than that of the first and second closing profiles so that there is no portion in the first and second pleat panels that prevents the connection between the first closing profile and the second closing profile. The packaging container according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising an upper end portion arranged to be lower.

Images