KR20020001890A - Reclosable storage bag with color closure indicator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a flexible storage bag 10 having an opening and a closure system 40 for the opening, which provides a high contrast color indicator when the closure system is fully sealed. The closure system may be a mechanical interlocking seal or an adhesive based closure system. The high contrast color indicators can change from colorless to color, from white to black and / or from transparent to opaque.

Description

Flexible storage bag {RECLOSABLE STORAGE BAG WITH COLOR CLOSURE INDICATOR}

Flexible storage bags for use in the storage and storage of perishable materials, such as food, as well as the storage and protection of various articles are well known in the art. Typically, such a bag is folded onto itself and sealed along two edges to form a semi-closed container having two flexible opposing side walls, three sealed or folded edges, and one open edge. Rectangular sheet. An enclosure formed integrally with a bag, such as an interlocking ribbed seal, and provided separately, such as a plastic or paper-covered wire tie, completes the containment assembly.

As used herein, the term "flexible" refers to a material that is flexible and yields, in particular in response to externally applied forces that can be repeatedly bent or flexed. Thus, "flexible" is substantially opposite in terms and meanings of inflexible, rigid or non-yielding. Thus, the flexible materials and structures can be modified in shape and structure to accommodate external forces and to match the shape of the object in contact with them without compromising their integrity. Flexible storage bags of the type described above are typically formed of a polymer film, such as polyethylene or other polyethylene groups, having a thickness of about 0.0005 cm (0.0002 inches) to about 0.005 cm (0.002 inches). Such films are usually transparent but are sometimes opaque and / or colored.

Flexible storage bags of the type currently available on the market generally provide a means for conveniently storing a wide range of objects and materials in disposable storage devices. Many commercially available flexible storage bags use mechanical interlocking seals to achieve closure of the bag openings, and some of these bags further add a sliding mechanical seal to improve the ease of opening and closing the mechanical interlocking seals. I use it. Regardless of what type of mechanical interlocking seal is provided, the problem remains of determining whether a complete seal has actually been made across the inlet of the bag to achieve the desired closure operation completion.

Currently, there are two color change systems on the market for such enclosures. One system includes the interlocking of the blue and yellow elements to form a green seal, while the other system includes the interlocking of the red and blue elements to form a purple seal. These are achieved by simply dyeing each side of the transparent zipper closure with a different primary collar so that when they are pressed together to seal, they are pressed lightly through the closure to produce an apparent collar that is a second collar originally formed of two primary collars. Such a system provides a color change indication of whether the seal has been achieved, but under many lighting conditions the color visible to the consumer is produced by the interlocking of the seal or simply by a weak press through a hermetically overlapping element. It is difficult to identify. Moreover, people with visual impairments, such as color blindness or poor visual accuracy, cannot accurately determine the conditions of the seal just by looking at it.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a seal that provides an accurate indication of whether a complete seal has been made.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a flexible storage bag having an opening and a closure system for the opening, wherein the closure system provides a high contrast color indicator when the closure system is fully sealed. The closure system may be a mechanical interlocking seal or an adhesive based closure system. The high contrast color indicators can change from colorless to color, from white to black and / or from transparent to opaque.

The present invention relates to closures such as those commonly used in flexible storage bags, particularly those suitable for use in storing and protecting various articles, including perishable materials.

Although the detailed description includes claims that specifically point out and distinctly claim the invention, the invention may be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like elements. .

1 is a front view of a flexible storage bag using the closure according to the invention,

2 is a front view of another flexible storage bag according to the present invention,

3 is a perspective view of another flexible storage bag according to the present invention,

4 is a front view of another flexible storage bag according to the present invention.

1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a flexible storage bag 10 according to the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the flexible storage bag 10 is folded onto itself along the fold line 22 and coupled to itself along the side seams 24, 26 to define the edge 30. And forming a semi-closed container with openings therein and comprising a bag body 20 formed of a piece of flexible sheet material. The flexible storage bag 10 also includes a mechanical closure system 40 positioned adjacent the edge 30 to seal the edge 30 to form a fully sealed container or container. A bag, such as the flexible storage bag 10 of FIG. 1, is constructed from a continuous tube of sheet material such that the side seams 24, 26 are removed and the bottom seam is replaced by a fold line 22. The mechanical closure system 40 includes interlocking mechanical seals of any suitable conventional design.

In accordance with the present invention, the closure system 40 provides a high contrast color indicator in the event of a complete closure of the closure system. As used herein, the term "high contrast color indication" refers not to a matter of degree but to an apparent change in visual appearance. For example, the high contrast color indicator may be from colorless to color, from white to black and / or from transparent to opaque, rather than from one color to another of the same degree. The high contrast colored portion can be seen from one or both sides of the bag.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the closure system 40 is initially represented by reference numeral 60 when the consumer's hand 70 moves along the closure system 40 to interlock the opposing elements of the mechanical interlocking seal. A high contrast color indicator is provided in the form of a change from a clear / transparent / colorless appearance to a purple color appearance indicated by the reference numeral 50.

FIG. 2 shows a similar flexible storage bag 10 in the form of a change from the initial white contour with the high contrast color indicator denoted by 60 to the black color contour indicated with 50.

FIG. 3 shows a pressure actuated adhesive base closure system 45 that provides a high contrast color indicator in the form of a change from the initial clear / transparent / colorless appearance indicated by the reference 60 to the green color appearance indicated by the reference 50. Shows a flexible storage bag 10 using < RTI ID = 0.0 > Suitable adhesive base closure systems include optionally operable adhesive support structures in which inadvertent contact is protected by a plurality of compressible and collapsible protrusions surrounded by an adhesive that provides a fixed sealing seal in operation. Suitable representative three-dimensional materials of this kind, including thin layers of pressure sensitive adhesives protected from inadvertent contact, and methods and apparatuses for making them, issued September 2, 1997 in Hamilton and McGregor and are entitled to "pressurized" Composite material releasably sealable to a target surface, and US Pat. No. 5,662,758, Hamilton and McGregor, issued February 16, 1999, having a material protected by a changeable standoff. US Patent No. 5,871,607, "Materials and Methods of Making the Same," US Patent No. 5,871,607, and McGregor, Tweedel, and Hamilton, filed Nov. 8, 1996, entitled "Three-Dimensional Envelope Sheet Materials and Methods and Apparatus for Making the Same". US Patent Application 08/745, filed 08 / 745,339 and Hamilton and McGregor, filed November 8, 1996, entitled "Improved Storage Wrap Material." , 340, which patents and patent applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 4 shows a flexible storage bag 10 similar to the bag of FIG. 1 but using a sliding mechanical seal (without reference numeral) as a device for closing the interlocking mechanical seal 40. The sliding mechanical seal can be a conventional design suitable for the type of interlocking mechanical seal used.

Any suitable means for producing high contrast color markings consistent with the materials used in the bag and closure system structure, the intended contents of the bag (ie food grade, sterilization, etc.) and the expected environmental conditions can be used. The collar and indicator may be selected according to the color, bag contents and chemical / structural methods of the bag component used.

For example, a high contrast color indicator from transparent to opaque or black can be achieved through an opposing surface having a coating that, when pressed together, can block light sufficiently and appear darker together. Another more different method is to use a coating that is polarized to light, which looks completely transparent when separated, but sufficiently blocks light transmission when joined together, making them appear opaque.

Another suitable method for generating high contrast color markers is to use a system of chemicals that, when in contact, undergo a chemical reaction to produce a color. One such system includes a microencapsulated phenoltalene solution sprayed on one side of the seal and a microencapsulated base solution sprayed on the other side. When the two sides are pressed together with sufficient pressure to form a seal, the capsule is broken, the indicator is activated, and a pink collar appears. Potentially, this can be done without microcapsules if proper water is entrained in the adhesive.

Another method is to use an encapsulated ink similar to using a carbon free foam. Such inks are printed in the fabric of the adhesive closure system opposite the adhesive and covered with a varnish or other non-permeable coating or potentially between the adhesive and the back material. In a mechanical containment system, the encapsulated ink is located within the mechanical interlocking seal.

Various compositions suitable for constructing the flexible storage bag of the present invention are polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), aluminum foil, coated (wax, etc.). Substantially impermeable materials such as applied) and uncoated paper, coated nonwovens, and the like; It is primarily formed in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional structure and includes substantially permeable materials such as scrims, meshes, wovens, nonwovens or perforated or porous films. Such materials may be comprised in a single composition or layer, or may be a composite structure of multiple materials including a base material used as a carrier for the material.

Once the preferred sheet material has been produced in all preferred and suitable ways, including all or part of the material to be used for the bag body, the bag is as known in the art for making such bags in the commercially available form. All known and suitable forms can be constructed. Thermal or adhesive sealing techniques are used to couple the various components or elements of the bag to itself or to each other. The bag body may also be thermoformed, blow molded or otherwise molded, rather than relying on the technique of folding and gluing to construct the bag body from a web or sheet of material. US Patent No. 5,554,093, issued September 10, 1996 to Porcia et al. And US Patent No. 5,575,747, issued November 19, 1996 to Dice et al. A state of the art is disclosed in connection with flexible storage bags with similar overall structure.

Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims cover all modifications falling within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

For a flexible storage bag, ① encyclopedia with openings, ② includes a closure system adjacent to the opening to close the opening, The closure system provides a high contrast color indication when the closure system is fully sealed. Flexible storage bag. The method of claim 1, The high contrast color indicator is advanced according to the degree to which the closure system is sealed. Flexible storage bag. The method of claim 1, The hermetic system is a mechanical interlocking seal Flexible storage bag. The method of claim 3, wherein The closure system further comprising a slide mechanical closure. Flexible storage bag. The method of claim 1, The closure system includes an adhesive base closure system. Flexible storage bag. The method of claim 1, Wherein the high contrast color indicator is selected from the group consisting of clear to color, white to black, transparent to opaque, and combinations thereof Flexible storage bag. The method of claim 1, The high contrast color display unit is made through a chemical reaction Flexible storage bag. The method of claim 1, The high contrast color display is made through the polarization of light Flexible storage bag. The method of claim 1, The high contrast color display is made through the encapsulated ink Flexible storage bag. The method of claim 1, The high contrast color indicator is made through a coating on the opposing surface Flexible storage bag.