JPH05162755A - Bag which can be re-closed and preparation thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain a method of manufacture of improved bags suitable to packing intrinsically bulking articles, new packages formed thereby and making of such chain-like bags. CONSTITUTION: An individual bag 10 comprises a front wall 14, back wall 15 and header 13, flap 22 and an entrance. A flap 22 is fixed to a back wall 15 in a position able to be re-closed. The front wall 14 of the package takes virtually a flat shape when the content is in.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

RELATED PATENT This application is related to U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,310 (Title of Invention "Packaging Machine and Method"), the description of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flexible plastic package, and more particularly to an individual plastic bag, a reclosable plastic bag connected in a chain shape, and a method for manufacturing a chain-shaped reclosable plastic bag. It is about.

[0003]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Reclosable flexible plastic bags are known. In one proposal, the front wall of the individual bags extends beyond the back wall, forming a flap for closure that folds back over the back wall. Adhesive tape is affixed to the flaps and acts as a closure. However, this bag lacks a header for hanging the bag, is complicated to manufacture, and does not have a good appearance when a bulky article is put therein.

[0004] Another proposal is to fold a piece of plastic in two and seal the bottom and sides. The interlocking parts form inside the bag to form a closure, which joins the sides of the bag together. The bag is initially distorted and opened, but can be resealed by the mating parts. However, this bag does not have a header for hanging and does not look good when a bulky article is put therein. Moreover, the process of forming the bag requires additional extrusion to form the mating parts.

[0005] Other known plastic bag structures cannot be efficiently mass-produced, are not compatible with automatic filling machines, have no means for hanging the bags for display, or lack an attractive display appearance. There are drawbacks such as.

[0006] The manufacture of chained flexible plastic bags is well known. Some such chain-like bags are formed from a continuous row of bags connected side to side. For example, in one proposal, a piece of flexible plastic is folded back to create a folded edge and an open edge. Each bag is sealed to form a header and sides. Individual bags are filled with items from the open rim, then sealed and the bags are closed. Then remove the bag from the chain. There is no reclosability in this manner and it lacks the desired appearance when loaded with bulky articles.

[0007] Other known flexible bags have the drawbacks that they are not suitable for efficient mass production or suitable for high-speed filling operations. Other proposals lack the potential for reclosability and suspension for display.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides individual bags that can be suspended from a display rack by placing a bulky article into a package to substantially flatten the front wall and inflate the rear wall. Is.

The packaging of articles such as relatively bulky nylon stockings so that the front wall can be hung from the point of sale for sale with the front wall relatively flat provides one of the significant advantages of the present invention. Constitute. Retail display packaging is typically printed to provide prospective purchasers with trademarked source information and information about the contents. The flat wrapper facilitates customer read of the printed information. In contrast, the commonly used cylindrical packages for bulky articles provide only limited information, so the customer must look around the cylindrical package. Moreover, flat hanging packages with attractive source markings and product information enhance the urge to buy products.

[0010] In addition to this, the bag of the present invention is reclosable. This feature allows in-store purchasers to inspect the product without breaking the packaging. The reclosable bag does not break when opened and can be reused after sale.

The finished plastic bag of the present invention has a front wall that is substantially flat when filled with objects and a rear wall that is connected to the front wall at the bottom and sides. When the bag is filled with a bulky article, the back wall bulges outward more than the front wall due to the pressure of the contents. The bag is provided with a header and an opening formed near the top end of the rear wall near the header. A flap extending from the header partially overlaps the rear wall and closes the opening. A peelable adhesive is between the flap and the proximal portion of the back wall to bond them together and close the opening.

[0012] The present invention also relates to a novel, reclosable, flexible plastic bag connected in a chain. Chain-shaped bags can be manufactured at high production rates and are particularly suitable for use in high production bagging machines such as those disclosed in the aforementioned US Pat. No. 4,969,310. The novel chain-like bag consists of a number of bag elements and a line of weakness between them.

The present invention also relates to a method of forming two rows of chain-connected bags. This method produces two rows of chained bags that have the advantages described above. This method produces the above-described two rows of chain-like bags in high production volume.

The method of the present invention begins with moving a continuous web of plastic film from a source along a path. The continuous web is folded back along its length to form a two layer web. Rip the folded web,
Two layers of different widths facing each other are formed. Next, flaps are formed at predetermined intervals on both edges of the wider layer. The flap and the portion of the wide layer adjacent to the flap that will be the header are folded over the other layer and sealed along a line proximate to the flap to form the header. Both layers are sealed together along a transverse line located at a longitudinal spacing between the flaps. Next, a sewing machine is applied to the transverse seals to create a weak line between adjacent bags. The continuous web is then longitudinally split and lengthwise sealed along its center to form two rows of chain-like bags. Then, a step of applying an adhesive between each flap and the back wall of the bag facing the flap to form a hole for hanging the bag in each header is performed.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved bag suitable for encapsulating an essentially bulky article, a novel package formed thereby, and a method of making such a chain-like bag. Is to provide.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a package in which a completed plastic bag 10 is filled with contents. The bag 10 is suspended from a display hanger 11 that is inserted into a hole 12 of the header 13. The front wall 14 of the bag 10 joins the header 13 and hangs from it. Front wall 14
The bag 10 remains substantially flat when the bag 10 is loaded with a light but bulky article, such as nylon stockings. The back wall 15 of the bag bulges outward more than the front wall 14 due to the pressure of the contents of the bag.

The bag 10 has side seams 16, 17 which form the side edges when filled and sealed into a package. A seam 18 at the bottom of the bag connects the front wall 14 and the back wall 15. The bag 10 has an upper end 19 and a bottom end 20.

The bag 10 has an inlet / outlet opening 21 formed in the rear wall 15 immediately below the header 13. Flap from the base of header 13
22 extends. The flap 22 partially overlaps the rear wall 15 and covers the access port. Adhesive 23 is applied between the flap 22 and the portion of the rear wall 15 near it to releasably bond the flap 22 to the rear wall 15. The reclosable flap 22 allows prospective buyers to examine the contents of the bag and allows the contents to be removed after purchase without breaking the bag. In addition, the purchaser may later use the bag for other purposes.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 2, a plastic bag 10 connected to a chain 24 is shown. These bags are connected in series by a weakening line 25. First and second temporary openings 26,27 are formed near the bottom end 20 of each bag 10 to carry the bag onto a mandrel in a subsequent filling operation. The openings 26, 27 are up to the bag filling process and are not visible to the consumer as part of the final product. The first and second side seams 16,17 are the bottom end 20 of the bag.
Ending at a predetermined distance from, leaving a short unsealed distance along the sides of the bag between the end points 28 of the side seams 16,17 and the temporary end seams 29. Temporary opening 2
6,27 and seam 29 serve to carry the bag onto the mandrel of the bag filling machine. The bag filling process is described in detail in the related patents mentioned above.

[0020] An important feature of the plastic bag of the present invention is that the bag 10
The front wall 14 has a substantially flat appearance when it is hung from the display hanger 11. Unlike the front wall 14, the rear wall 15 expands due to the pressure of the contents. This gives the bag a comfortable appearance. The front wall 14 connects directly to the header 13, whereas the rear wall 15 does not. The rear wall 15 is indirectly connected to the header 13 via a flap 22 and an adhesive 23.
It is attached to. As a result, the rear wall 15 expands and swells due to the swelling of the contents of the bag.

[0021] Next, FIGS. 3 to 8 schematically show steps of a method of forming two rows of chains 24 of interconnected plastic bags. This method consists of two facing layers 31, 32
Begin by making a continuous laminated web 30 of. This is 2
This can also be accomplished by feeding separate webs of plastic film from one source and placing both webs in face-to-face relationship to form laminated web 30, but in the illustrated preferred embodiment, one plastic sheet is used. Laminated web 30 is formed by feeding a continuous web of film 33 from a single source to V-board 34. The film 33 is provided off-center on the V-board 34 as shown in FIG. The film 33 is continuously vertically slit at a position deviated from the center line and divided into two portions 31 and 32 having different widths. V
A board 34 and a set of V-board rollers 35 fold the web 33 back along its length to form a continuous two-layer plastic film web 30 with fold edges 36. The narrower one is the first layer 31 and the wider one is the second layer 32
I will decide.

[0022] In the process of cutting the film vertically, the film is V
A conventional slitter knife 37 is preferably used when passing through the board 34. Thus, the film is divided into two parts before being folded back and the fold edge 36 is included in the part which is to be the second layer 32.

After leaving the V-board roller 35, the second layer 32 of the laminated web 30 is unfolded, resulting in two opposing layers 31, 32 of different widths. The second layer 32 is folded back by passing it through an unfolder roller 38. As a result, the two layers 31 and 32 are arranged with their center lines aligned in a mutually facing relationship. Proper alignment of the two layers 31, 32 is accomplished by fixing the position of the fold edge 36 and knife 37 with a conventional web centering mechanism.

The web 30 is then passed through a notch cutter 39, where notches 40 are made at regular intervals along both edges of the second layer 32 as seen in FIG. The notches 40 form the flaps 22 of the individual bags 10.

After leaving the notch cutter 39, the web 30 is shown in FIG.
A folding roller shorter than the width of the second layer 32, as shown in FIG.
Contact 41. The outer edge of the second layer 32 including the flap 22 contacts the roller 41 and is folded inward. Second layer 32
The outer edge of the sheet is further folded and pressed by an ordinary pressing member 42. The outer edge of the second layer 32 including the flap 22 thus overlaps the outer edge of the first layer 31. The folding step is done in place so that the resulting folding forms the upper end 19 of the bag 10.

The next step is the formation of the header seal line 43.
The header seal line 43 seals the second layer 32 itself along a line defined at a predetermined position to form the header 13. The header seal line 43 is formed by an ordinary heat seal roller 44. Header seal lines 43 extend parallel to the side edges of web 30 and define headers 13 on individual bags 10. The flap 22 and header 13 are fixed in place by a header seal line 43. Thus, a sheet of film or second layer 32 forms the front wall 14, header 13 and flap 22 for each bag 10.

The next step is to apply the adhesive 23 between each of the flaps 22 on each side of the web 30 and the adjacent portion of the first layer 31. This adhesive application step consists of lifting the flaps 22 and applying a drop of adhesive material 23 to the first layer 31 (ie where it will become the rear wall 15 of the individual bags 10) at regular intervals. Lifting flap 22 may be done by any suitable conventional means. Compressed air nozzle in preferred embodiment
Lift flap 22 with an air jet from 45.
Fingers 46 hold flap 22 in the raised position for some time while adhesive 23 is applied. Adhesive 23 is applied by an ordinary glue gun 47. In the preferred embodiment, the adhesive 23 is first heated and then applied with a glue gun (such as that sold by Nordson Corporation, Westlake, Ohio under the trademark Nordson Spoolgun).

[0028] After the header 13 is formed on the web 30, holes 12 are punched by the punch 43 along the both side edges of the web 30 at a position corresponding to the center of each bag. The hole 12 is for hanging the bag 10 from the hanger 11.

The next step is to form the side seams 16,17. Side seams are adjacent flaps 22 and 22
Formed by transverse seal lines 49 of the laminated web spaced along its length by a predetermined distance. Transverse seal line 49 is first
Is a heat seal for integrally bonding the layer 31 and the second layer 32. The sealing line 49 is formed at a position corresponding to the side seams 16 and 17 of each bag. The transverse seal line 49 is not continuous across the width of the laminated web. Each transverse seal line is interrupted near approximately the center of the laminated web to form the first and second temporary openings 26, 27 of the individual bags. The transverse seal line 49 also does not extend to the header 13. The transverse seal line 49 is formed by a notched reciprocating heater bar 50. 51 is a backup drum.

A weakening line 25 is formed between the bags 10. The weakening line 25 is formed along the center of the transverse sealing line 49. The weakening line 25 allows the bag to be separated without damaging it. In the preferred embodiment shown, the line of weakening is the perforation formed by a conventional perforator roller 52. 53 is a backup roller.

The final step is to cut the continuous laminated web longitudinally with a hot knife 54 along the centerline to form the same two rows of bag chains. A hot knife 54 seals the first layer 31 and the second layer 32 and attaches them together to form a temporary seam 29.

The foregoing description illustrates the principles of the invention and many modifications and variations will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and thus the invention is strictly limited to the construction and operation shown and described. Instead, all suitable modifications and equivalents are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing one of the bags according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a chain-shaped continuous plastic bag according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a step in which the web is folded back, vertically torn, and the folded edge is returned in the method according to the present invention.

4 is a perspective view schematically showing one step of the method of the present invention for forming a flap on the web of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing one step of the method of the present invention in which the flap is folded back inward.

6 is a perspective view schematically illustrating one step of the method of the present invention for forming a header on the web of FIG.

FIG. 7: Lifting flaps, applying glue,
It is a perspective view which shows roughly the process of making a hole in a header.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a side seam formed and a weakening line formed;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a step of vertically dividing the web.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 individual plastic bags 12 holes 13 header 14 front wall 15 rear wall 16,17 side seams (first and second side) 19 top end (first end) 20 bottom end (second end) Part) 21 entrance / exit 22 flap 23 adhesive 24 chain 25 weakening line 26 first temporary opening 27 second temporary opening 30 laminated continuous web 31 first layer 32 second layer 49 transverse sealing line

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor William H. Mayhew, Larchdir Drive, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA 2229

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A plastic bag in which a plurality of chains are connected in a chain form, each bag element having an individual bag element and a weakening line between the plurality of bag elements, each bag element having first and second side portions, First and second ends, a front wall and a back wall of a flexible plastic film, a seam along the first side, a seam along the second side, and a temporary end A seam, an access slot formed near the first end, a first temporary opening formed along the first side near the second end, the first temporary A second temporary opening formed along the second side on the opposite side of the opening; a header formed at the first end; a flap extending from the header to cover the access port; A reclosable bag comprising adhesive means for releasably securing the flap to the rear wall. 2. The bag of claim 1, wherein the line of weakness connects a plurality of bag elements along the side seam to form a chain-like connection. 3. A method of forming two plastic bags connected in a chain, wherein a continuous web of plastic film is moved along a path and the web is folded along its length to form a folded edge. A two-layer continuous web having the first continuous web separated from each other by continuously cutting the two-layer continuous web at a position deviated from the center.
Forming a layer and a second layer, the first layer having a width narrower than that of the second layer, and the first and second layers are oriented so that their longitudinal centerlines are aligned with each other. Continuously positioned to form a continuous laminated web, flaps are formed near both edges of the second layer at a predetermined interval, and predetermined spacing portions are provided near both edges of the second layer including the flap. Are continuously folded back inward so that the predetermined portion overlaps with the first layer to form a folding edge along both edges of the second layer, and is separated from the folding edge by a predetermined distance inward. A folded portion of the second layer is sealed along an edge to form a header, and an adhesive is applied between each of the flaps and a portion of the first layer facing the flap, the length of the laminated web With a certain distance in the vertical direction between the flaps. Along a transverse sealing line to form a transverse weakening line by sealing the first layer and the second layer and weakening the continuous laminated web at a predetermined interval located between the flaps, Since the continuous laminated web is divided in the length direction to form two rows of bag groups, and in each row, a temporary end seam is simultaneously formed between the first layer and the second layer. Of manufacturing a bag comprising. 4. A method of forming the two rows of plastic bags of claim 3, further comprising interrupting the transverse seal line near the center of the continuous laminated web. 5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of continuously cutting is performed before the completion of the folding step. 6. A plastic bag having a front wall which is substantially flat when contents are put therein, and a front wall which is joined to the front wall along side and bottom parts for putting contents therein. And a rear wall that bulges outward more largely than the front wall by its pressure, a first side seam, a second side seam, a first end, a second end, and An inlet / outlet opening formed near one end, a header coupled to the front wall near the first end, a portion extending from the header and partially overlapping the rear wall, A plastic bag comprising a flap for covering and a reclosable adhesive means between the flap and an adjacent portion of the rear wall for recloseably coupling the flap to the rear wall. 7. A method of forming two rows of plastic bags connected in a chain shape, comprising: a) moving a pair of plastic webs having different widths along a moving path in a superposed relationship with each other; Aligning the longitudinal centerlines of these webs during movement so that the wide webs project to either side of the narrow webs, c) forming flaps at regular intervals on both edges of the wide webs, d ) Folding both side portions of the wide web including the flap and adjacent header portions onto the narrow web to form fold edges on both sides of the wide web, and e) inward from the fold edge. A laterally spaced longitudinal seal is formed between the folded portion and the narrow web along a line located at a predetermined distance to form a header, and f) each of the flaps. And face this Applying an adhesive to and from a portion of the narrow web, g) sealing both webs along longitudinally spaced transverse seal lines located between adjacent flaps, and h) said transverse seal. Forming a transverse line of weakening that weakens the :, i) dividing the webs longitudinally to form two rows of chain-like bags while simultaneously forming an end seam between the webs in each row. How to make a bag. 8. The method of forming a bag of claim 7, further comprising interrupting the transverse seal line near a centerline of the web. 9. A plastic header having a hole; b) a plastic front wall and a rear wall that hang down from the header and join together at sides and bottom to define an article storage pouch; c) An article loading / unloading port included in the rear wall, and d) secured to one of the header and the rear wall,
A plastic flap overlying the access port; e) an adhesive that releasably secures the flap to another part to provide a reclosable access port; f) a rear wall that is placed in the pouch. A bulky article that allows it to inflate substantially larger than the front wall, wherein the header and front wall are substantially hung from an object inserted into the hole of the header to face the front and the front wall. A package that looks flat, makes the display comfortable, and makes it easy to read the consumer message printed on the package. 10. The package according to claim 9, wherein the flap hangs from the header and is fixed to the rear wall with an adhesive.