MXPA01004533A

MXPA01004533A - Touch fasteners, their manufacture, and products incorporating them

Info

Publication number: MXPA01004533A
Application number: MXPA/A/2001/004533A
Authority: MX
Inventors: William H Shepard; William Clune; George A Provost
Original assignee: William Clune; George A Provost; William H Shepard; Velcro Industries Bv
Priority date: 1998-11-06
Filing date: 2001-05-04
Publication date: 2002-06-05

Abstract

Touch fasteners useful for bags, packaging and other products as well as novel manufacturing of products incorporating such fasteners are described. A composite touch fastener has an elongated, sheet-form resin substrate, a fibrous loop strip (104) partially encapsulated in, or otherwise permanently attached to, resin of the substrate, and an array of loop-engageable fastener elements (106) integrally molded with resin of the substrate. The loop strip forms a discrete band of hook-engageable, free-standing loops along the length of the substrate and has a substantially constant fiber density across its width. The array of fastener elements is arranged in a discrete band of fastener elements extending longitudinally along the substrate. The fastener product is useful as a repeated use bag closure, with a pair of grooves and a graspable rib (132) integrally molded into the substrate between the fastener elements and loops. The center portion of the closure seals the bag until it is torn away to expose the mating bands of loops and fastener elements. Methods and apparatus are disclosed for continuously molding the resin of the substrate while permanently attaching preformed material, such as loop material staked in discrete regions, to resin of the substrate, and for forming discrete bags incorporating the bag closure. Methods of applying recloseable touch fasteners, e.g. hook and loop fasteners, to sheet or film include vertical form and fill and horizontal form and fill packaging and pouch making.

Description

^ FASTENERS, ITS MANUFACTURE, AND PRODUCTS THAT INCORPORATE THEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 5 This invention relates generally to contact fasteners, such as composite contact fasteners having both eyelets and fastener elements that can engage the eyelet, extending from one side of a common substrate, with its application in products such as closure strips for reclosable bags, and with methods and apparatus for their manufacture. This invention also relates to the application of contact fastener strips that can be resealed to sheets or films, especially to flexible sheets or films, disposable, for packaging purposes, such as in vertical form and filling and horizontal form and packing of filling and in the manufacture of pouches. There has been a lot of development during the past thirty years in the field of hook-and-loop fasteners. The first contact fastener products of this type consisted of two tapes that were attached, each being knitted or woven. One belt would include rings of woven filament within one base, and the other would include filaments woven to form rings and then cut to form hooks. In some cases the free ends of the extracted plastic filaments would merge to form protruding heads. This shape of the fastener element is sometimes called a "mushroom", to distinguish it from the "hooked" elements with grapples that re-enter. In some cases, the configurations of similar discrete fastener elements in two parts are shaped to mesh with one another to form a releasable closure, these being known as "self-engaging" hooks or closures. More recently, the continuous molding of fastener elements extending from a resin base in the form of a common sheet has resulted in less expensive and thinner male tapes. Significant improvements in this area include the development of continuous fastener tape molding, using fixed mold cavities (see Fischer, U.S. Patent Number 4,794,028), and the ability to provide loops on the back side of the fastener tape. male as the substrate of the fastener tape, and elements are being formed (see Kennedy et al., United States Patent Number 5,260,015), thereby creating a composite fastener tape, capable of holding itself. Additional improvements have reduced the size of the fastener elements that can be molded using these techniques, at heights of 0.015 inches (0.38 millimeters) or less, which provide a very soft touch when configured in dense configurations. Another example of the molded fastener tape involves the molding of execution rods, or similar structures, integral with a plastic backing substrate, and thereafter, performing a forming operation to convert the outer portions into a J-hook, a mushroom head, or a similar gear structure. Since the molded fastener tape has been improved to be more flexible and less expensive, it has found application in disposable garments, such as diapers. Other improvements are desirable to extend the applicability of molded contact fastener products to other uses. One of those uses that is described in more detail later is as a closure for reclosable bags and other such packaging. Other types of repeated-use closures for bags have included, for example, the type of rib-and-slot fastening, or closure closures as distributed under the name ZIPLOC. These have very different fastening characteristics, and demanding requirements to join the sheet or film, compared to the contact fastener closures that pertain to the present.

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION The invention highlights, in many aspects, a composite contact fastener product having both a band of rings and a band of hooks extending from a single side of a common, sheet-like substrate. Among other applications, this product can be included in the opening of a bag to function as a closure for repeated use. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an elongated closure strip includes a sheet-shaped resin substrate having a front face, and a sheet-shaped resin substrate having a front face and a back face; a configuration of ring engagable fastener elements integrally molded with, and extending from the front face of the substrate, and forming a discrete band of fastener elements extending longitudinally along the length of the fastener strip; and a strip of rings that is worn on the front face of the substrate, and which forms a discrete band of interlocking rings extending along the length of the closure strip, and spaced apart from the band of fasteners. The eyelet strip is configured to engage the configuration of fasteners when the substrate is folded along a fold line extending between the eyelet strip and the fastener configuration. In some embodiments, the substrate has bonding regions extending along its length, to permanently join the closure strip through a bag opening, the joining regions being devoid of fasteners and rings. The joining regions are positioned either on the front face or the back face of the substrate. In some cases the joining regions are covered with a layer of adhesive, to permanently attach the closure strip through the opening of the bag. In some other cases, the joining regions comprise resin exposed from the substrate, for permanently welding the closure strip to opposite sides of a bag formed of a compatible material. In some embodiments, the substrate defines at least one brittle region extending longitudinally along the length of the closure strip, between the band of rings and the band of fasteners, to tear the substrate between the rings and fasteners. , to open an associated bag. In some cases, the fragile region comprises at least one longitudinal groove extending along the substrate. In some configurations the frangible region comprises a pair of separate, longitudinal grooves, and a longitudinal rib molded integrally with, and extending from the substrate, between the pair of grooves. The slot can be defined on either the front face or the back face of the substrate. In some cases, a longitudinal rib is molded integrally with, and extends from the substrate adjacent to the slot, on one side of the slot opposite the fold line, to resist the propagation of a tear from the slot away from the line of bending The brittle region may include a longitudinally continuous encrusted filament, adapted to be torn from the closure strip, to tear the substrate along the brittle region. In some cases, the filament is completely enclosed within a longitudinal rib, integrally molded with, and extending from the substrate between the band of rings and the band of fasteners. For some applications, the longitudinal rib enclosing the filament is placed on the back face of the substrate. In some cases the longitudinal rib is offset from the fold line. In some embodiments, the eyelet strip comprises a non-woven mesh of entangled fibers that form the eyelets, preferably having a basis weight of less than about 4 ounces per square yard (0.14 kilograms per square meter), (most preferably, less than about 2 ounces per square yard (0.07 kilograms per square meter)). In some cases, the non-woven mesh comprises a stitched mesh in a stretched condition. In some embodiments, the fibers of the eyelet strip are fixed to the substrate, across the width of the eyelet strip, such as by being encapsulated by the resin of the substrate. With "width" of the strip of rings, we mean the entire transverse dimension of the strip that is highlighted, as measured between the most extreme edges of the strip that is highlighted, before it attaches to the substrate. In many cases, the eyelet strip has a fiber density that is substantially constant across its width, but the eyelet strip has discrete regions that are more encapsulated by the resin than other regions of the eyelet strip. These discrete, more encapsulated regions may be longitudinally spaced, along the strip of rings, extended longitudinally along the strip of rings and be spaced across, or configured in a board pattern, for example. Where we do not refer to regions of the ring pull as being more "encapsulated" than other regions, we mean that the fibers of the more encapsulated regions are generally more deeply embedded >; in the resin of the substrate, which fibers from other regions. Generally, this will involve a deeper penetration of the substrate resin into the ring strip. In some embodiments, the longitudinal edge regions 5 of the ring strip are fixed to the substrate, while a central region (between the edge regions) is substantially loose from the substrate. The central region of the hoop strip can conveniently define a smooth arc that extends away from the substrate in some of these modalities. In some configurations, a barrier layer (of a material other than the substrate) is included between the substrate and the ring strip. This barrier layer may be paper or a polymer resin, for example. In some cases, the ring strip has at least one edge that is substantially loose from the substrate. This edge may be a border either internal or external in a finished bag, and may help to re-direct the detachment separation forces, in order to improve the resistance to detachment of the fastener. In some closure strips, open-ended pockets are defined between one edge of the eyelet strip and the substrate. These pockets can help to improve the resistance to detachment in some cases. In some embodiments, the edge regions of the hoop strip have fibers encapsulated directly within the resin of the substrate, while the closure strip also includes a binder (of a material other than the substrate) that connects the fibers of the hoop. central region (between the shore regions) of the ring strip to the resin of the substrate. The substrate of some embodiments of the closure strip is conveniently formed from the same material as the substrate, for example, allowing the substrate to be welded to the bag material. Such material may be, for example, polypropylene, polyester or nylon, selected for their excellent barrier qualities (as well as polyethylene having poor barrier qualities), and compatible copolymers and blends that include at least one of those resins. Some embodiments of the closure strip also include an adhesive strip that is worn on the front face of the substrate, between the band of fastener elements and the band of rings. The adhesive strip has an exposed surface, configured to have contact with the front face of the closure strip, when the closure strip is bent to engage the rings with the fastener elements, to retain the closure strip in a bent condition. Alternatively, some embodiments have a first adhesive strip that is worn on the front face of the substrate, between the band of fasteners and the pair of grooves, and a second adhesive strip that is worn on the front face of the substrate, between the band of rings and pair of slots.- The first and second adhesive strips have exposed surfaces, configured to have contact with each other, when the closure strip is bent to engage the rings with the fastener elements, to retain the closure strip in a doubled state In any case, these adhesive strips can conveniently provide an airtight seal when the closure is closed. In some cases, the closure strip includes a strip of release adhesive, which is worn on the front face of the substrate to provide a peelable seal through the opening of an associated bag. For some applications, the strip of release adhesive is placed between a longitudinal edge of the closure strip, and both bands of fasteners and rings. In some other applications, the strip of removable adhesive is placed between the bands of fasteners and rings. In some embodiments, the closure strip includes a paper layer permanently adhered to the substrate. In some cases, this paper layer is worn on the front face of the substrate, in its longitudinal shore regions. In some cases, the paper is carried on the back side of the substrate. In some other cases, the paper layer is placed between a central region of the ring strip and the substrate. In some embodiments, the closure strip includes a second configuration of snap-fastener elements, integrally molded with, and extending from the rear face of the substrate, and forming a second band of fasteners extending longitudinally along the length of the substrate. of the length of the closing strip, to hang an associated package for deployment. In some cases, a second ring of hoops is carried on the rear face of the substrate and forms a second discrete band of meshing rings, spaced apart from the second band of fastener elements, to engage the second band of fasteners of another package. In some cases, a second ring of rings is worn on the back face of the substrate, and forms a second discrete band of meshing rings, extending along the length of the closure strip, to hang an associated package for deployment . In some embodiments, the substrate also defines multiple longitudinal rows of hump-shaped projections, which extend from its front face, between the line of doubles and each of the bands of fasteners and fasteners. According to a second aspect of the invention, an elongated closure strip includes a sheet-shaped resin substrate, having front and rear faces, a strip of hoops that is worn on the front face of the substrate, and a configuration of fastening elements that can be attached to the rings, which is worn on the front face of the substrate. The ring-shaped strip forms a discrete band of hook-and-loop hooks, free-standing, along the length of the closure strip, and the configuration of fastener elements forms a discrete band of fastener elements, extending longitudinally to the fastener elements. length of the closing strip, and separated from the ring band. The substrate defines a pair of slots that extend longitudinally along the length of the closure strip, between the band of rings and the band of fasteners, and a longitudinal rib molded integrally with, and extending from the substrate , between the pair of slots. According to a third aspect of the invention, an elongated closure strip includes a sheet-shaped resin substrate, having front and rear faces, a strip of rings that is worn on the front face of the substrate, and a configuration of fastening elements that can be attached to the rings, which is worn on the front face of the substrate. The ring-shaped strip forms a discrete band of hook-and-loop hooks, free-standing, along the length of the closure strip, and the configuration of fastener elements forms a discrete band of fastener elements, extending longitudinally to the fastener elements. length of the closing strip, and separated from the ring band. The eyelet strip has a width and fiber density that is substantially constant across its width, and is at least partially encapsulated in the resin of the substrate across its width, with the eyelet strip having discrete regions that are more encapsulated by the resin that the other regions of the ring pull. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a reclosable bag includes a bag body and an elongated closure strip. The bag body has two opposite side walls, joined along three edges, to form between them a pocket having an open end. The closure strip is permanently fixed to the two side walls of the bag body along the open end, and includes a leaf-shaped resin substrate, having a front and a back face; a configuration of fastener elements engageable with the rings, integrally molded with, and extending from the front face of the substrate, and forming a discrete band of fastener elements extending longitudinally along the length of the closure strip; and a strip of rings that is worn on the front face of the substrate, and which forms a discrete band of interlocking rings extending along the length of the closure strip, and spaced apart from the band of fasteners. The ring strip is configured to be engaged by the configuration of fastener elements, to hold the bag releasably in a closed condition. In some preferred embodiments, the substrate is continuous and solid between the band of rings and the band of fasteners, and forms a seal to hold the bag in a sealed condition, before the bag is opened. In some embodiments, the substrate of the closure strip is permanently fixed to the side walls of the bag body with adhesive. In some other embodiments, the substrate of the closure strip is welded to the side walls of the bag body. The substrate of the closure strip and the side walls of the bag body may be formed of the same resin, for example, including polyethylene and, in cases involving barrier films and sheets, polypropylene, polyester and nylon, and copolymers and compatible mixtures that include those resins. In some cases the resin of the sheet or film packing material, or the resin of the backing substrate of a closure strip to be joined to the packaging material, or both, include an additive in the resin combination, or a discrete outer layer, such as by extrusion, of a material that contributes to the weldability of the mating surfaces. These additives include, for example, an ionomer such as one that distributes duPont under the trademark Surlyn ™, or an additive of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), which reduces the temperature of welding, or a material known as metallocene, which is used to aggravate or adjust the melting range of the materials to be welded ther. For some applications, the substrate of the closure strip defines at least one brittle region extending longitudinally along the length of the closure strip, between the band of rings and the band of fasteners, to tear the substrate between the rings and fastener elements, to open the bag. The brittle region may include, for example, at least one longitudinal groove extending along the substrate. In some cases, the fragile region comprises a pair of longitudinal, spaced slots, and a longitudinal rib, molded integrally with, and extending from the substrate between the pair of slots. In some other cases, the brittle region has a longitudinally continuous, embedded filament adapted to be torn from the closure strip to tear the substrate along the brittle region. The filament can be completely enclosed within a longitudinal rib extending from the rear face of the substrate of the closure strip, and placed inside the bag, for example, in some bags, the filament has an end attached to a tab for pull, which extends from one edge of the bag. In some other bags, a crack is defined through a portion of the edge of the bag, but does not extend into the interior of the bag, the crack defining a pull tab that can be grasped, inside the shore region, and that contains one end of the filament. The pull tab can also be defined between a pair of cracks on either side of the filament, and extending through an adjacent edge of the bag. In some embodiments, the fastener strip of the fastener strip comprises a non-woven mesh of fibers, having a basis weight of less than about 4 ounces per square yard (0.14 kilograms per square meter). In some applications, a strip of release adhesive is worn on the front face of the substrate, to provide a removable seal through the opening of the bag. The removable seal may be positioned either inwardly or outwardly of the bands of fasteners and fasteners.

In some embodiments, the back face of the closure strip forms an outer surface of the bag, with the bands of rings and fastener elements carried on an inner surface of the bag. In some bags, the closure strip also has a second configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings, integrally molded with, and extending from the rear face of the substrate, and forming a second fastener element band, which extends longitudinally along the length of the fastener. the outer surface of the bag, to hang the bag for deployment. The closure strip may also include a second ring of rings that is worn on the back face of the substrate and forms a second discrete band of interlocking rings, extending along the outer surface of the bag, to hang the bag for deployment. In some cases, the front face of the closure strip forms an outer surface of the bag, with the bands of rings and fastener elements carried on that outer surface of the bag. Both the band of rings and the band of fastener elements can be placed on a front side of the bag, for example, in such a way that the fastening elements engage the rings when an adjacent edge of the bag is folded. Preferably, the substrate of the closure strip defines a fragile region between the bands of fasteners and fasteners, the brittle region running along one side of the bag, and configured to be torn to open the bag. For some custom applications this brittle region is configured to be torn by applying a transverse tension load across the brittle region such that the brittle region is broken to gain access to the bag. The load can be applied by grasping the bag on either side of the brittle region, for example, and then separating the bands to tear the brittle region. Preferably, the fragile region of the substrate is weaker with respect to the transverse tension load, than the side walls of the bag and the junction between the side walls of the bag and the closure of the bag. The side wall forming the front side of the bag may have an exposed tongue, for example, for gripping and pulling the front side of the bag, to tear the fragile region of the closure strip. This tongue can extend through the front side of the bag. In some embodiments, the ring bands and fastener elements are positioned on opposite sides of the bag, such that the fastener elements mesh the rings when an adjacent edge of the bag is doubled, formed by a fold in the strip of the bag. closing. In some cases, the adjacent layers of the substrate together form a barrier to the fluids with the closure strip bent twice. In some applications, the side walls of the bag are attached to the closure strip along the back face of the closure strip. In some cases, one edge of the bag is formed by a fold along the substrate of the closure strip, between the bands of fasteners and fasteners. In some other cases, the substrate forms a fold between the bands of fasteners and rings, with the fold of the substrate directed towards the inside of the bag. The substrate can be solid and continuous between the sidewalls of the bag, to form a seal through the opening of the bag until the bag is initially opened. The side walls of the bag can be joined together outwardly from the longitudinal edges of the closure strip, to form a seal until the bag is initially opened. Conveniently, in some embodiments, at least one longitudinal edge of the closure strip is placed inside the bag, and disengaged from the sides of the bag, except at the edges of the bag. The substrate of the closure strip has printed indications in some applications. further, in some applications the substrate of the closure strip defines a hole that forms a handle that can be grasped, to carry the bag. According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a reclosable bag includes a bag body having two opposite side walls, joined along three edges, to form a bag having an open end, and a sealing strip permanently fixed to the two side walls of the bag body, along the open end. The closure strip includes a sheet-shaped resin substrate having a front face, a strip of rings that is worn on the front face of the substrate, and a configuration of fastener elements engageable to the rings, which is worn on the face front of the substrate. The ring strip forms a discrete band of hook-and-loop hooks, free-standing, along the length of the closure strip, and the configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings, forms a discrete band of fastener elements that extends longitudinally along the length of the closure strip, and is configured to engage the ring band, to releasably maintain the bag in a closed condition, when the opposite sides of the bag body are pressed together at the open end . The substrate defines a pair of slots that extend longitudinally along the length of the closure strip, between the band of rings and the band of fasteners, the pair of spaced apart slots to define between them a band of resin from the substrate , to keep the bag in a closed condition until the closure strip tears along the pair of grooves. The substrate also defines a longitudinal rib, molded integrally with, and extending from the substrate between the pair of grooves, the rib having a thickness, and configured to be grasped between adjacent regions of the substrate, and pulled to tear the closure strip along the pair of slots. According to a sixth aspect of the invention, a product in the form of a continuous sheet, useful for forming bags, includes a film in the form of a continuous sheet and a length of closure strip permanently attached to the film. The closure strip includes a sheet-shaped resin substrate, which has an exposed front face; a strip of rings carried on the front face of the substrate, and comprising a discrete band of hook-and-loop rings, extending along the length of the closure strip; and a configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings, integrally molded with resin from the front face of the substrate, and forming a discrete band of fastener elements, extending longitudinally along the length of the closure strip, and spaced from the band of rings.

The closure strip, in some applications, is continuous and extends along the center line of the film. In some other applications, the closure strip is continuous and extends along one edge of the film. In some cases the closure strip extends transversely through the film. According to a seventh aspect of the invention, a product in the form of a continuous sheet, useful for forming bags, includes a film in the form of a continuous sheet and multiple sections of closure strip, which extend transversely through the film, to separate intervals, and permanently attached to the film. Each section of the closure strip includes two overlying substrates, with each substrate separately attached to the film of the bag, on opposite sides of an associated fragile region of the film; a strip of rings that is worn on the front face of the first substrate, and comprising a discrete band of interlocking rings, extending along the length of the closure strip; and a configuration of fastener elements engageable with rings, extending from the second substrate, and forming a discrete band of fastener elements, extending longitudinally along the length of the closure. The first and second substrates overlap as they are attached to the film, such that the bands of fasteners and fasteners overlap to gear. Preferably, the fastener elements are integrally molded with the resin on the front face of the second substrate. According to an eighth aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing a closure strip is provided. The method includes the steps of molding a substrate in the form of a continuous sheet, having a band of fastener elements integrally molded with, and extending from a front face of the substrate; and joining a continuous strip of ring material to the resin forming the front face of the substrate, to form a discrete ring band, separated from the band of fasteners. In some cases, the molding step includes forming the substrate so that it has a longitudinal brittle section, configured to be positioned between the band of rings and the band of fasteners. The fragile section of the substrate can define, for example, at least one longitudinally extending groove, with the molding step including the formation of the groove in the substrate, as the substrate is formed. The groove can be formed on the front or rear face of the substrate. In some cases, the brittle section defines a pair of slots that extend longitudinally in the substrate, and the molding step may also include simultaneously forming a longitudinal rib extending from the substrate, between the slots. In some cases, the molding step includes simultaneously forming a longitudinal rib extending from the substrate, the rib configured to be placed between the bands of fasteners and rings. The rib, in some cases, is molded to be closer to one another than the bands of fasteners and rings. The molding step, for some applications, includes simultaneously embedding a longitudinally continuous filament in the resin of the substrate. The filament may be completely enclosed by the resin of a rib extending from one side of the substrate, for example. In some preferred applications of the method of the invention, the strip of hoop material comprises a non-woven mesh of entangled fibers that form the hoops, and having a basis weight of less than about 4 ounces per square yard (0.14 kilograms per square meter) ). In some embodiments, the joining step includes encapsulating the fibers of the strip of the hoop material in the resin of the substrate, across the width of the strip of the hoop material. - The strip of the material of rings, in some cases, it has a fiber density that is substantially constant across its width, and the joining step includes permanently adhering discrete regions of the strip of hoop material to the substrate, while leaving other regions of the strip of material of rings in a less stuck condition. In some embodiments, the strip of hoop material is permanently bonded to the substrate after the substrate is molded, such as by heating the front face of the substrate, and then pressing the hoop material against the front face of the substrate, with the front face of the substrate at an elevated temperature. In other embodiments, the strip of hoop material is permanently attached to the substrate, as the substrate is molded. In some of those cases, the molding and joining steps include continuously feeding the strip of hoop material through a clamp defined between a rotating shaping roller and a pressure roller, the rotating shaping roller defining a multiplicity of cavities towards its periphery for molding the fastener elements, while continuously introducing molten resin to the molding roll under conditions which cause the resin to fill the cavities and the shape of the substrate, such that the pressure in the clamp attaches the strip of material of rings to the resin of the substrate. In some configurations the shaping roll has two extending flanges, which form a pair of grooves in the substrate. The molding step may also include simultaneously forming a longitudinal rib extending from the substrate between the pair of grooves, the molding roll defining, between its two flanges, a channel for forming the longitudinal rib. In some cases, the molding and joining steps include continuously feeding the strip of hoop material through an intermediate open space, defined between a rotating shaping roller and a stationary extrusion head, the rotating shaping roller defining a multiplicity of cavities towards its periphery, for molding the fastener elements, while continuously introducing molten resin into the intermediate open space, under conditions which cause the resin to fill the cavities and form the substrate, and permanently adhere to the strip of hoop material. In some embodiments, the method also includes, while continuously feeding the strip of hoop material through the intermediate open space, continuously feeding a strip of previously formed material through the intermediate open space, between the strip of hoop material and the extrusion head, in such a way that the previously formed material inhibits the encapsulation of fibers of the strip of hoop material in previously determined regions, and the previously formed material is incorporated within the closure strip. This preformed material is preferably selected from the group consisting of paper, cloth film and plastic, and may have perforations therethrough, to allow heavier penetration of the substrate resin into some previously determined areas. In some cases the molding and joining steps include continuously feeding the strip of hoop material through a clamp defined adjacent the periphery of a rotating shaping roll, the shaping roll comprising at least one boundary ring having a contoured outer edge, and configured to maintain a predetermined region of the strip of ring material against the resin under pressure in the intermediate open space. The outer edge of the boundary ring may have projections spaced towards its periphery, for example, with the projections corresponding to discrete regions of relatively greater encapsulation of the strip of the hoop material. Preferably, the shaping roller comprises multiple delimiting rings, configured to produce a binding pattern previously determined through the strip of hoop material. According to a ninth aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing a closure strip is provided. The closure strip is in the form of a sheet-shaped resin substrate having a front face, both with a ring of rings and with a configuration of fastener elements engageable with rings that are carried on the front face of the substrate. The ring strip has width and forms a discrete band of extended rings, engageable to hooks, along the length of the closure strip. The configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings forms a discrete band of fastener elements, which extends longitudinally along the length of the fastener strip, and separated from the fastener band, the substrate having a fragile section between the fastener strip and the fastener strip. rings and band fastener elements. The method includes the steps of molding a continuous, sheet-like substrate, which has both a fastener band integrally molded with, and extending from its front face, and a brittle section, and which joins a continuous strip of material of rings to the resin forming the front face of the substrate, to form a band of rings, with the fragile section of the substrate placed between the band of rings and the band of fasteners. According to a tenth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing reclosable bags. The method includes the steps of: a) providing a continuous stretch of bag wall material in the form of a sheet; b) providing a continuous closure strip comprising a sheet-shaped resin substrate, having a front face; a strip of rings that is worn on the front face of the substrate, and which forms a discrete band of meshing rings along the length of the closure strip; and a configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings, integrally molded with the front face of the substrate, and forming a discrete band of fastener elements, extending longitudinally along the length of the closure strip, and spaced apart from the band. of rings. c) permanently joining the closure strip along the sheet-shaped bag wall material to form a continuous stretch of previously formed bag material; and then d) forming individual bags from the previously formed bag material. In some embodiments, the joining step produces a pre-formed tube of bag material, and the joining and forming steps are performed simultaneously in a vertical form and fill process, with the individual bags containing a predetermined amount of the material that is previously formed. will store in the bags. In some applications, the closure strip is attached to the longitudinal edges of the sheet-shaped plastic to form a fin seal of the previously formed tube. In some cases, the closure strip is bent to form a fold that extends outward, away from the tube previously formed. The fold defines a distal edge of the fin seal in some of these cases. In some other cases the closure strip is bent to form a fold extending inward towards the previously formed tube. In some embodiments, the bonding step produces a tube previously formed of the bag material. The joining and forming steps are carried out simultaneously in a horizontal form and fill process, with the individual bags formed into associated packages of material. In some preferred configurations, the longitudinal edges of the bag side wall material are put together to form a fin seal with the closure strip bent longitudinally, and placed inside the fin seal. In some other applications, the longitudinal edges of the bag side wall material are put together in a flap seal, with the closure strip bent longitudinally toward, and attached to, the longitudinal edges of the bag side wall material. In some embodiments, the joining step includes folding the closure strip along its length to engage the bands of fasteners and fasteners, in a gear region, the rings and fasteners maintaining their fundamental regions of the substrate in relation separated. In some of these cases the joining step further includes welding the bag side wall material to the rear face of the substrate, the gear zone providing a heat barrier to permanently inhibit the welding of the substrate together in its bent condition. In some cases the forming step includes folding the previously formed bag material along its center line, and then forming transverse seals spaced along the previously formed bag material, at bag length intervals, to form a chain of open end bags. The closure strip may be joined along the bag side wall material between the longitudinal edges of that material, for example, with the previously formed bag material being subsequently folded into the closure strip to engage the webs of the bag. rings and fastener elements. In some applications the joining step includes individually folding the bag side wall material and the closure strip, and then joining the folded wall material and the closure strip along its longitudinal edges, to form a continuous tube of bag material formed previously. In some of these applications the formation step includes creating transverse seals through the tube of bag material formaao pieviar.ien, e to form a series of empty, discrete bags. In some embodiments, the bag-side wall material is provided as two separate sheets of material, the joining step including attaching the closure strip to one of the longitudinal edges of each sheet, such that the The pre-formed pouch comprises the two sheets of material joined in the closure strip The step of forming individual pouches includes forming transverse seals through the previously formed pouch material, and joining the other longitudinal edges of the sheets of material, to form a pouch. a series of sealed bags In some cases, the closure strip contains an inlaying pull cord, and the forming step includes forming a graspable pull tab extending from one edge of each bag with the tongue. to pull containing one end of the pull cord The pull tab that can be grasped can be formed by slitting each bag in a side seal area of the b Olsa, for example. Alternatively, the crack may cut through the cord to pull, but not extend into the inside of the bag. The crack forms, in some cases, two cracks extending from an adjacent edge of the bag to the filament. According to a eleventh aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing reclosable bags. The method includes the steps of: (a) providing a continuous stretch of sheet-shaped plastic, folded along its length, and having two exposed longitudinal edges; (b) providing a continuous closure strip bent along its length, and having two exposed longitudinal edges (the closure strip having a leaf-shaped resin substrate with a front face, a closure strip that bears on the front face of the substrate, and forming a discrete band of hooks engageable to hooks, of free position, along the length of the closing strip, and a configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings, integrally molded with the face front of the substrate, and forming a discrete band of fastener elements that extends longitudinally along the length of the closure strip, and separate from the band of rings, as described above); (c) permanently joining the longitudinal edges of the sheet-shaped plastic to the longitudinal edges of the closure strip, to form a continuous tube formed previously; and (d) forming sealed individual bags from the previously formed tube. In some embodiments, the step of forming individual bags includes cutting the continuous tube formed previously to predetermined lengths (each section cut comprising a section of closure strip and a plastic section in the form of a sheet), sealing a first open end of each section. section cut from the previously formed tube, and sealing a second open end of each section cut from the previously formed tube, to form a sealed bag. In many cases, between the steps of sealing the first and second open ends, each section of tube previously formed with material to be stored in the sealed bag is filled. In some embodiments, the step of forming sealed individual pouches includes: (d) sealing the tube at a sealing point spaced from one end of the tube to form an end pouch with a single opening; (d2) filling the end pocket with material; (d3) sealing the single opening of the end pouch to form a sealed pouch containing the material; (d4) separating the sealed bag from the tube, by separating the tube below the sealing point; (d5) advances the tube; and (dß) repeat steps (di) to (d5). In some embodiments, the substrate of the closure strip defines a pair of slots that extend longitudinally along the length of the closure strip, between the band of rings and the band of fasteners, with the pair of slots separated. to define between them a band of substrate resin to keep the bag in a closed condition until the closure strip tear along the pair of grooves. According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, a composite contact fastener has an elongated, sheet-shaped resin substrate with a front face, a fibrous ring strip partially encapsulated in the resin of the front face of the substrate, and a configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings, integrally molded with the resin of the front face of the substrate. The eyelet strip forms a discrete band of hook-and-loop hooks, free standing, along the length of the substrate, the closure strip having a substantially constant fiber density across its width, between its two longitudinal edges. The configuration of fastening elements, engageable to rings, forms a discrete band of fastener elements that extend longitudinally along the substrate.

In some embodiments, the hoop strip comprises a non-woven mesh of entangled fibers that form the hoops. Preferably, the mesh has a basis weight of less than about 4 ounces per square yard (0.14 kilograms per square meter), (most preferably less than about 2 ounces per square yard (0.07 kilograms per square meter)). The non-woven mesh may be in the form of a stitched mesh in a stretched condition, for example. According to a thirteenth aspect of the invention, a composite contact fastener includes an elongated resin substrate, in the form of a sheet, a strip of fibrous rings partially encapsulated in the resin of the substrate, with the ring strip having discrete regions that they are substantially more encapsulated by the resin than other regions thereof, and a configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings, integrally molded with the resin of the substrate. In some embodiments, the ring strip has a substantially constant fiber density across its width. In some cases, the strip of hoop material has regions of elevation substantially higher than the regions corresponding to discrete regions that are substantially more encapsulated by the resin.

By "lifting" we mean the distance of the exposed rings of the hoop material extended from the front face of the substrate, as they are presented for engagement by the fastener elements. In some embodiments, the strip of hoop material comprises a non-woven mesh of entangled fibers that form the hoops, and having a basis weight of less than about 4 ounces per square yard (0.14 kilograms per square meter). According to a fourteenth aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing a composite contact fastener is provided. The composite contact fastener is in the form of an elongated, sheet-shaped resin substrate having a front face, both with a ring of rings and with a configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings that are worn on the front face of the substrate. The ring strip has width and forms a discrete band of exposed rings, engageable to hooks, which extends longitudinally along the substrate. The configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings forms a discrete band of fastener elements, which extends longitudinally along the length of the substrate. The method includes the steps of molding a continuous, sheet-like substrate having a band of fastener elements, integrally molded with, and extending from its front face, and attaching a continuous strip of hoop material to the resin forming the front face of the substrate, to form a band of rings. Preferably, the strip of hoop material comprises a non-woven mesh of entangled fibers forming the hoops, and having a basis weight of less than about 4 ounces per square yard (0.14 kilogram per square meter), (most preferably, less than about 2 ounces per square yard (0.07 kilograms per square meter)). In some embodiments, the strip of hoop material has a fiber density that is substantially constant across its width, but the step of permanently joining unites the discrete regions of the strip of hoop material to the substrate, while leaving other regions of the hoop. the strip of hoop material in a less bound condition. In some cases, the strip of hoop material is permanently attached to the substrate as the substrate is molded. For example, in some preferred methods, the molding and joining steps include continuously feeding the strip of hoop material through an intermediate open space adjacent to a rotating shaping roll (defining a multiplicity of cavities towards its periphery to mold the elements. fasteners), while the molten resin is continuously introduced to the casting roller under conditions which cause the resin to fill the cavities and form the substrate, such that the pressure in the open intermediate space attaches the ring-shaped strip of rings to the resin of the resin. substratum. In some cases, the intermediate open space is a clamp defined between the casting roller and a pressure roller. In some other cases, the intermediate open space is defined between the casting roller and a fixed extrusion head. In some embodiments, the shaping roll contains at least one boundary ring having a contoured outer edge, the boundary ring configured to maintain a predetermined region of the strip of ring material against the resin under pressure in the intermediate open space. In a presently preferred configuration, the outer edge of the boundary ring has projections spaced towards its periphery, the projections corresponding to discrete regions of relatively greater encapsulation of the strip of hoop material. In some cases, the shaping roller has multiple delimiting rings, configured to produce a binding pattern previously determined through the strip of hoop material. According to a fifteenth aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing a composite contact fastener is provided. The contact fastener is in the form of an elongated resin substrate, in the form of an elongate sheet that carries both a preformed material and a configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings, integrally molded with the substrate. The method includes molding a continuous, sheet-like substrate having a band of fastener elements integrally molded with and extending from the substrate by continuously introducing the molten resin into an intermediate open space defined adjacent a molding roll. rotary, which defines a multiplicity of cavities towards its periphery for molding the fastening elements, under conditions that cause the resin to fill the cavities and form the substrate, while permanently joining a continuous strip of material previously formed to the resin of the substrate, in a clamp defined between the mold roll and a pressure roll, by causing pressure variations inside the clamp. The pressure variations result in regions of relatively high resin penetration of the substrate into the previously formed material, and relatively low penetration regions of the substrate resin into the previously formed material. In some preferred embodiments, the shaping roll has projections extending radially inside the clamp, to cause local increases in clamp pressure, which correspond to the relatively high penetration regions of the substrate resin. In some embodiments, the pressure roller has projections extending radially inside the clamp, the projections causing local increases in clamp pressure, which correspond to the relatively high penetration regions of the substrate resin. In some cases, the intermediate open space and clamp are coextensive. In some other cases, the intermediate open space is defined between the casting roller and a fixed extrusion head. In some embodiments, the regions of relatively high penetration of the substrate resin into the previously formed material are configured in a board pattern, along the strip of previously formed material. In some configurations, the configuration of fastener elements is placed on a front face of the substrate, and the strip of preformed material is attached to a rear face of the substrate. The previously formed material is, in some modalities, coextensive with the back face of the substrate. In some other configurations, the strip of preformed material and the configuration of fastener elements are both placed on a common side of the substrate. In some embodiments, the strip of preformed material comprises a strip of hoop material having exposed hoops, configured for gear that can be released by the fastener elements. According to a sixteenth aspect of the invention, an apparatus for manufacturing a composite contact fastener is provided. The composite contact fastener, as described above, is in the form of an elongated resin substrate, in the form of a sheet having a front face, a strip of rings that is worn on the front face of the substrate (the ring strip) having width, and forming a discrete band of extended rings, engageable to hooks, along the length of the contact fastener), and a configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings which is worn on the front face of the substrate, and which form a discrete band of fastener elements, which extends longitudinally along the substrate. The apparatus includes a rotating casting roller which defines a multiplicity of fixed cavities towards its periphery, for molding the fastening elements, means for supplying molten resin to the casting roller, under conditions which cause the resin to fill the cavities and form the substrate, means for supplying a continuous strip of hoop material between the molten resin and the molding roll, under conditions which cause the strip of hoop material to be permanently bonded to the front face of the substrate, and means for dismounting the capping fasteners. It will be understood that the "means" elements of the apparatus are those described or represented schematically in the present or in the descriptions incorporated by reference, and their equivalents. According to a seventeenth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing reclosable bags in a vertical form and fill process. The method includes the steps of: a) unrolling a continuous stretch of pouch film in the form of a sheet, and directing the unrolled film on a forming head, advancing the pouch film a bag length between pauses; b) during each pause, joining a length of closure strip through the unrolled pouch film upstream of the forming head, each section of closure strip comprising a sheet-shaped resin substrate having a front face; a strip of rings that is worn on the front face of the substrate, and which forms a discrete band of meshing rings along the length of the closure strip; and a configuration of fastener elements engageable to rings, integrally molded with the front face of the substrate, and forming a discrete band of fastener elements, extending longitudinally along the length of the closure strip, and spaced apart from the band. of rings; and c) forming individual bags from the bag film, each bag having an associated length of closure strip. According to a eighteenth aspect of the invention, a horizontal form / fill packaging machine is provided. The machine includes means for forming a continuous tube from a sheet of film (the tube having a flange that extends, formed by the opposite shore regions of the film that are put together in face-to-face relationship), means for introducing a resealable closure strip to the tube flange, means for sealing the closure strip to the edge regions of the film, means for inserting small articles to be packed into the tube, and means for separating and sealing the tube between adjacent articles, to form individual packages containing the articles. In accordance with a nineteenth aspect of the invention, a reclosable coiled top bag has a sealing strip sealed along an upper end of the bag. The closure strip has a substrate defining at least one frangible region to be separated to open the bag, a band of hook elements extending from the closure strip, and placed on one side of the bag, and a band of hoop material that is carried on the substrate on an opposite side of the bag. When the upper end of the bag is folded on itself in a previously determined configuration, the band of hook elements releasably engage the band of ring material, to form a releasable fastener, with the adjacent layers of the substrate forming together a barrier to fluids. According to a twentieth aspect of the invention, a reclosable bag has a closure strip having parallel bands of hooks and rings, extending from an outer surface thereof, and separated by a brittle region, in such a way that the bag, after being opened by means of separating the fragile region, is adapted to be closed by folding the bag towards the fragile region to place the bands of hooks and rings in releasable gear.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing a closure strip includes molding a continuous sheet-like substrate, having a band of fastener elements integrally molded with, and extending from a front face of the substrate, and joining a continuous strip of hoop material to the resin forming the front face of the substrate to form a discrete band of hoops, separated from the band of fasteners. According to a twenty-second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for forming a disposable flexible film bag or package, having a previously determined thermoplastic composition surface. The method includes providing intergrandable closure strip portions, which are either separate strips or strip portions of a common member, and attaching the backing of those strip portions to respective portions of the surface of the plastic sheet or film by means of of welding. The strip portions are either separate strips or strip portions of a common member. At least one first of the closure strip portions provides a configuration of discrete fastener elements such as hook elements having hooks or fungus-shaped hook elements, the fastener elements having integrally molded stems with, and extending from a substrate of thermoplastic backing. The other portion of the strip provides a configuration of engagable elements such as rings or fibers, or self-engaging elements with the fastener elements of the first strip portion, such that the elements of the strip portions are capable of forming a releasable closure. Each of the strip portions has a backing surface substantially comprising the predetermined thermoplastic composition from which the surface of the film is formed. In some cases, during welding, the fastener elements of the respective strip portions are interengaged, and the backs of the strip portions are simultaneously attached to the respective portions of the sheet or film, by applying energy to the portions of respective sheet or film, the air space provided by the meshing elements serving to prevent unwanted welding of the strip portions one to the other. In accordance with further aspects of the invention, methods are provided for applying a reclosable fastener to a sheet or film, which include the steps of providing intergrandable closure strip portions, which are either separate strips or portions thereof. strip of a common member, and that attach the backing of the strip portions to the respective portions of the surface of the sheet or film, by the application of energy such as heat, acoustic energy or radio frequency, to produce for example , a solder or adhesive joint. At least one first of the closure strip portions provides a configuration of discrete fastener elements such as hook elements, having hooks or hook elements having a mushroom shape, the fastener elements having integrally molded stems with, and extending from a thermoplastic backing substrate. The other portion of the strip provides a configuration of engagable elements such as hooks or fibers engageable to hooks, or self-engaging elements with the fastener elements of the first strip portion, such that the discrete elements of the strip portions are capable of forming a releasable closure. In one aspect, during joining, the fastening elements of the respective strip portions are interengaged, and the backs of the strip portions are simultaneously attached to the respective portions of the sheet or film, by applying energy to the portions of the strip. respective sheet or film, with the insulating air pockets provided in the space created by the interengaged elements serving to limit the heat transfer and the unwanted adhesion or binding of the closing portions with each other. In another aspect, the cooperating parts of the releasable closure are of materials that are incompatible, or of significantly different melting temperatures, such that, under conditions of junction temperature, the interengaged elements do not tend to adhere to each other. These provisions can avoid the need for the presence of a leaf released during the joining action. In one example, the rings or fibers of the second strip portion are encapsulated by, and secured by the thermoplastic resin of the backing of the respective closure strip portion, the rings or fibers being comprised of resin, such as polyester, which is incompatible with, or has a higher melting temperature than the resin, such as polyolefin, of the respective backing substrate, and / or of components of the first opposite strip portion, such that, under bonding conditions, the difference of the material of the rings or fibers serves to prevent the damaging change to the rings or fibers, or the harmful adhesion or union of the rings or fibers to the first portion of the closure strip, preferably the mass of the hook elements of to first portion being substantially greater than that of the ring elements, the thermal mass of the hook elements being sufficient to avoid undue distortion of the hooks during the union In some cases, the method of the invention is conveniently carried out during vertical form and fill packing. In other cases, the method is conveniently carried out during the form packing and horizontal filling. The method is also used for convenience during the manufacture of pouches. In those cases it should be noted that the invention does not require the use of any particular resin for the different components. This allows the use of backing substrates of, for example, polypropylene, polyester and nylon, for the desired barrier qualities that polyethylene does not provide. In addition, in the desired cases, a wide range of compatibility layers can be used. For example, to attach a polyester backing of a closure strip to a polyester sheet or film, a lower melting layer can be applied to any component that adheres to each. In another case, or where the sheet is a simple or coated paper, either a bonding layer can be introduced to one of the coupled surfaces, or the substance of the backing substrate itself can be used as the bonding surface, for example. example, where the backing is polyethylene. In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, a resilient, flexible package is formed from a flexible plastic film with a wall thickness of less than about 0.005 inches (0.0127 centimeters), and includes a closure elongate that can be reclosed, wherein the reclosable fastener has opposite strips, adapted to be engaged face-to-face to close the package. The strips are constructed to be usefully engaged upon the application of a uniform facial gear force of less than about one pound per linear inch of closure (0.18 Newtons per millimeter), and to open by means of a transverse detachment force of less of approximately two pounds per linear inch of closure (0.35 Newtons per millimeter). In some embodiments each of the strips has a two-dimensional field of at least one type of discrete fastener elements, the fastener elements of each strip being constructed to interact individually with the elements of the other opposite strip, to form a field of localized releasable fasteners , to form a closure that opens by detachment. In some cases each strip has at least two types of discrete fastener elements, with the hooks of each strip engaging with the rings of the other. In some cases the strips each comprise rings and fastener elements engageable to rings.

Preferably, the closure is less than about one inch (2.54 centimeters) in width, and has multiple interlaced rows of fastener elements engageable to loops, and rows of loops. For example, in some cases there are at least 10 rows of elements engageable to rings and 10 rows of rings through the width of the closure strip. Preferably, the density of the fastener elements is greater than about 1000 fastener elements per square inch (150 per square centimeter) of closure. In some cases the rings are formed from the filaments of multi-filament yarn. In some embodiments the closure contains a molded strip having parallel rows of fastener elements integrally molded with one side of the strip, and, sandwiched between the groups of from one to three adjacent rows of fasteners, at least one continuous multi-filament yarn. attached to the face of the strip, with the filaments of the thread extending from the face of the gear strip by means of the fastener elements. The multi-filament yarns can be permanently folded or stacked to the face of the strip at separate points along the strip, for example. In some cases, the yarns comprise polyester. In some cases, the fastener elements are formed of polypropylene. Another aspect of the invention features a bag closure having engagable contact fastener elements, configured in parallel strips extending from a surface of a bag. Between the straps of fastener elements there is a fragile region adapted to tear to open the bag initially. After the initial opening, the bag is closed again by folding the closure towards the torn fragile region, to engage the straps of attachable fastener elements. In some embodiments, one of the straps of fastener elements is a band of hooks or fibers engageable to hooks; the other strip being of male fastener elements that extend, such as hooks or fungi. In some other embodiments, the strips are self-engaging male fastener elements, which have separate element configurations that are designed to latch, for example, when pressed together. Preferably, the closure is a continuous, thin, strip-shaped extrusion of plastic material on one side of which the fastener elements are either integrally molded from the extrusion material, or are bonded to the extrusion while the extrusion is in a softened state, such that the fastener elements are directly attached to the extruded material, or formed from the extruded material, without separate adhesives or bonding agents. The brittle zone can be, for example, a channel formed in one face of the extruded material between the fastener strips. The channel can be either on the external or internal face of the closure, as it is incorporated into a bag. Attached to the bag material to form a bag, the closure is preferably configured in such a way that the frangible zone extends parallel to, and adjacent to, one edge of the bag. With adjacent, we mean that the fragile area is preferably between a half and two inches (1.27 and 5.08 centimeters) from the edge of the bag, in such a way that sufficient space is provided between the fragile area and the edge of the bag, for grab the edge region of the bag with one hand while, with the other hand, you squeeze the main body of the bag, on the other side of the fragile area, and pull it from the fragile area to tear the closure to the long of the fragile zone. In a preferred bag construction, the bag material forming the back face of the bag is permanently attached to the back surface of the closure, along a closing edge, and the bag material forming the front face of the bag. The bag is permanently joined to the front face of the closure, along its opposite edge, in a free edge joining area of fastener elements. As an alternative to tightening the main body of the bag to separate the closure along its brittle area, a hinge can be provided for pulling on the closure connection to the bag material forming the front face of the bag. The pull hinge can be either in the form of a loose edge of the bag material not attached to the closure, but exposed along the closure, to be grasped and pulled, or a discrete local hinge of formed bag material , for example, by cutting the bag material by die before joining the closure. In a currently preferred embodiment, the closure is formed of polyethylene and has a nominal thickness of approximately 0.004 inches (0.1 millimeter). The brittle zone is a slot in which the thickness of the closure is reduced to approximately 0.002 inches (0.05 millimeters) over a slot width of approximately 0.036 inches (0.9 millimeters). That construction can provide acceptable tear properties when incorporated into an otherwise formed polyethylene bag of 0.002 to 0.005 inches (0.05 to 0.125 millimeters) in thickness, for example. In other embodiments of the invention, the fragile area includes a pull rib which is designed to be pulled along the closure, from one edge of the bag to the opposite edge of the bag, thereby tearing the closure between the strips of elements. fasteners In those embodiments, the pull rib may be exposed to grip by forming a hole or notch through the bag material on the back side of the bag, which extends partially through the width of the side seal of the bag. , immediately behind the rib to pull. With the back side of the bag cleared or otherwise separated from the end of the rib to pull, the end of the pull rib can be easily grasped and pulled along the width of the bag, to initially open the closure. This aspect of the invention can provide a bag closure that opens easily, without the level of fine motor control that is required to handle very small items. This may be particularly important for those who, due to arthritis, weak vision or other disabilities, have a lower level of skill. As a repeated use closure, the product of the invention provides a ventilated seal, which can be easily aligned. Since the bands of fasteners and fasteners are relatively wide, there is no need for precise alignment to form a reliable seal. The closure is capable of accommodating a reasonable amount of dirt or debris without losing its function as a closure, making it particularly applicable as a closure for bags containing substances in granules or powder. In addition, the natural porosity of the closure can provide some degree of dust filtration carried by air. Such a ventilated closure may be particularly desirable in air cargo containers, in order to accommodate pressure changes and, by this venting action, may help to prevent moisture buildup, to keep the products and other such items cool. The groove and rib strip tear molded into the center of the closure strip, in some cases, conveniently maintains a watertight seal until the bag is initially opened. The continuous closure strip provided by the invention can be easily adapted to standard bag making equipment and, in many cases, can be welded directly to compatible bag materials. These advantages result in the bags produced in accordance with the invention and which have that closure of repeated use. If made of an appropriate width, the closure strip of the invention can be folded and sealed to itself, to form an enclosed pouch. By employing a very light, nonwoven hoop material, and integrally molded fastener elements in many cases, the resulting product is relatively inexpensive and flexible. The product of the invention is also useful in other applications, either as a packing closure or as a general purpose fastener. The encapsulation of the fibers of the hoop material in a predetermined pattern of alternate regions of light and heavy encapsulation can produce regions of particularly high elevation where the hookable fibers are particularly well suited for gearing. As a method for producing fastener products, the invention also provides a reliable method for securing very low weight eye materials to the front face of a resin substrate having fasteners, in many cases without adhesives, and while forming. the substrate and the fastener elements themselves, eliminate a joining step of subsequent formation. The method does not require that the hoop material have a variable fiber density to allow the penetration of variable resin, and therefore can accommodate and locally bond hoop materials having a homogeneous fiber density. Since the fibers of the hoop material are, in many cases, directly encapsulated within the resin of the substrate, undesirable delamination of the hoop material from the substrate is prevented during high release loads. And, since the fastener elements are, in many cases, integrally molded with the substrate, delamination between the fastener elements and the substrate is also avoided. The fastener elements and the resin substrate (including any tear strip characteristics such as ribs and appropriate slots for closure strips) can be molded in a single continuous process, from the same resin flow, with the ring material fed just through the intermediate open space or substrate forming bracket, on the side of the resin adjacent the forming roll of fastener elements. By appropriately controlling the rate of formation and the temperature and pressure of the resin (the optimal values of which are independent and will depend on the type of resin used and the geometry of the product, as understood by those of ordinary skill in the art) , the resulting penetration of the resin of the substrate into the ring material can be controlled, with the purpose of not completely flooding the exposed surface of rings with the resin. In many applications, the use of appropriately contoured boundary rings in the region of the casting roller, adjacent to the hoop material, can help to form a pattern of raised regions of the hoop material, which are less penetrated by the resin than other areas. These raised regions can extend the rings for easy gear by means of the fastener elements. The apparatus of the invention can provide an efficient means to perform the steps of the inventive method described above, to produce a continuous strip of fastener product. Other features and advantages will be evident from the following detailed description and annexed drawings, and from the descriptions of our patent applications of the Former United States of America, incorporated as reference above. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the embodiments, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a contact fastener composed in the form of a closure strip. Figures IA and IV are enlarged views of the areas A and I, respectively, in Figure 1. Figures IB to 1G illustrate the structure of area A in other different modalities of the closure strip. Figure 2A illustrates the application of filling change loads in a bag having the closure strip of Figures 1 and IB. Figure 2A illustrates the application of detachment force to the closure strip of Figures 1 and IB. Figure 2C illustrates another closure strip configuration that provides an internal / external peel preference. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the closure strip, folded and installed in the opening of a bag in a sealed condition. Figures 4A and 4B illustrate a bag with the closure strip of Figure 1, under sealed and open conditions, respectively. Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the outer edge of the closure strip being grasped to open the bag. Figure 6 is a perspective view of a closure strip having a paper backing. Figure 7 illustrates a first method and apparatus for forming composite contact fastener tapes, such as the fastener strips of Figures 1 and 6. Figure 8 is an enlarged, non-scale view of the clamp forming the apparatus of the Figure 7. Figure 9 is a greatly enlarged view of the fastener material securing region of the clamp of Figure 8. Figure 9A illustrates an alternative configuration of the boundary region of the fastener material. Figure 10 is an enlarged view of a portion of the outer edge of a boundary ring. Figure 11 illustrates a second method and apparatus for forming composite contact fastener tapes, such as the closure strips of Figures 1 and 6. Figure 12 shows a clamp formed between a mold roll and a contoured pressure roll. Figure 13 is a cross-sectional cross section of a composite fastener tape formed in the clamp of Figure 13. Figure 14 illustrates a first apparatus for making vertical form / fill bags. Figure 15 illustrates a second vertical form / fill bagging apparatus configured to accommodate the closure strip of the invention. Figure 15A is an enlarged view of the element for attaching the closure strip to the bag mesh in Figure 15, with portions removed to show the configuration of the insulating rail and the sealing jaws. Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 16-16 in Figure 15. Figure 16A is a cross-sectional view, corresponding to Figure 16, with an inverted closure strip configuration. Figure 17 shows a first inverted horizontal form / fill packager apparatus and method, with the closure strip fed into the flap seal between the tabs of the mesh. Figure 17A is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 17A-17A of Figure 17. Figure 18 shows a second configuration of inverted horizontal form / fill packaging, with the closure strip wrapped towards the flanges of the mesh. Figure 18A is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 18A-18A of Figure 18. Figure 19 shows a third horizontal form / fill packing method, with the flap seal formed on the underside of the packages . Figure 20 shows an apparatus and method for forming pouches that are to be filled from an open end opposite their closures. Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 21-21 in Figure 20. Figure 22 is an enlarged view of area 22 in Figure 20, which shows the closure configuration as applied to the mesh. . Figure 23 shows a configuration of a shore seal formed between two adjacent bags in the process of Figure 20, to form exposed pull tabs. Figure 24 illustrates the opening of a bag with a pull tab for the exposed closure, such as is formed from the edge seal configuration of Figure 23. Figure 25 shows another method for forming pouches, in which the strip The closure is attached to the edges of a sheet or bag film as the film is folded. Figure 26 illustrates the making of reclosable bags, from two parallel plastic meshes and a closing strip. Figure 26A shows a bag made by the process of Figure 26. Figure 27 shows a package having a wide closure strip that displays information for the consumer. Figure 28 is a transverse cross section through the closure strip included in the package of Figure 27. Figures 29 and 30 are enlarged views of areas 29 and 30, respectively, in Figure 28. Figure 31 is a cross section through a bag having a closure strip with elements engageable to exposed rings, which extend from an external surface of the bag. Figure 32 illustrates a method and apparatus for forming the closure strip of Figure 31. Figure 33 is a partial external view of an upper corner of a pouch having a reclosable top portion. Figure 34A is a side cross-sectional view of the pouch of Figure 33, taken along line 34A, showing the structure and joining of the closure strip. Figures 34B and 34C sequentially illustrate the opening and reclosing of the pouch of Figure 34A. Figure 35A is a cross-sectional view through the closure end of a rolled-up top bag. Figures 35B to 35D sequentially illustrate the opening and reclosing of the bag of Figure 35A. Figure 36 is a cross-sectional view through the closing end of a bag with an inverted closure. Figure 37 illustrates a method and device for attaching the closure strip to the bag of Figure 36. Figures 38A-38C show bag films rolled with pre-applied closures, in different configurations. Figure 39 is a perspective view of a reclosable bag. Figure 40 illustrates the bag of Figure 39, which is being opened by means of squeezing and pulling. Figure 41A is a cross-sectional view of the closure end of the bag, taken along line 41A-41A in Figure 39. Figure 41B shows the cross section of the bag of Figure 41A, with the bag initially opened , and then bent towards the opening to engage the fastener elements of the closure. Figure 42 illustrates the closure, in cross-section cross-sectional view, before being attached to the bag material. Figure 43 is an enlarged view of the area 43 in Figure 42. Figure 44 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line 44-44 in Figure 43. Figure 45 is a cross-sectional view similar to that shown in FIG.

Figure 41A, but of a bag having a pull tab on the edge, along the bottom closure edge. Figure 46 is a perspective view of another bag, having a front pull pull tab. Figure 47 shows a bag having a tear-off closure rib with a graspable end. Figure 48 illustrates a third apparatus and method for vertical form / fill bagging, in which the closure strip is applied to the bag film before the film is wrapped towards the forming head.

Figure 49A is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 49A-49A in Figure 48. Figure 49B was taken from the same perspective as in Figure 49A, with a different closure strip configuration. Figures 50A and 50B show closing strips with removable seals. Figure 51 shows a hook-to-hook gear between opposing strips of hook-shaped fastener elements, oppositely directed. Figure 52 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 52-52 in Figure 51.

DESCRIPTION OF THE MODALITIES Referring to Figure 1, a longitudinally continuous closure strip 100, such as for sealing a bag, consists of a thin, sheet-like resin substrate 102 with parallel longitudinally continuous bands 104 and 106 of rings and fastener elements, respectively, on its front face 108. Bands 104 and 106 are equally spaced from the center "C" of the closure strip, such that when the strip is bent longitudinally in "C" to cover the front face 108, the fastener elements of the band 106 mesh and retain the rings of the band 104, to form a releasable fastener.

The fastener elements 110 of the band 106 are integrally molded with, and extend from the front face 108. In this embodiment, these fastener elements are in the form of J-hooks that extend, in rows, along the length of the closing strip. Some of the J-hooks face each other in opposite directions along the strip. Other shapes of fastener elements, including those protruding above the substrate 102 in a widthwise direction, can also be employed. One form of a suitable fastener element is the CFM29 hook form (approximately 0.015 inches or 0.38 millimeters in height), available in different products sold by Velero USA in Manchester, New Hampshire. The ring band 104 consists of a preformed nonwoven web of polymer fibers, which may include a stabilizer binder, and which are bonded to the front face 108 of the substrate 102 at different points across the width and length of the web. mesh. Suitable hoop materials include those described in United States of America patent application 08 / 922,292, and PCT patent application PCT / US98 / 18401, filed as a continuation in part of the previous application, whose descriptions complete are incorporated herein by reference as if they were fully declared.

Preferably, the nonwoven hoop material in the band 104 is very thin, such as less than about 0.040 inch or 1.0 millimeter thick (more preferably, less than about 0.020 inch or 0.5 millimeter thick), with the fibers of the mesh maintained in a transversely stretched condition, and the free-standing hoop structures extending from its exposed surface. As described in the patent applications referenced above, the eyebolts extend from associated knots in the stretched mesh, which can be stabilized by liquid binder twisted within the knots and cured. Between knots, the thin-fiber mat is not very dense and is transparent enough to allow images to be easily seen through it. As usual, the hoop material has a basis weight (in its previously formed state, including any previously applied binder) of less than about 4 ounces per square yard (136 grams per square meter), preferably less than about 2 ounces per square yard ( 68 grams per square meter). Other details of this hoop material can be found in the applications referred to above. For applications in which the hoop material is partially penetrated by the resin of the substrate, as the substrate is formed (as described below), the sewn hoop material is preferably stretched only in a transverse direction, only about 22 percent, to leave a reasonable amount of elevation and avoid full penetration. In some cases, the ring material 104 is partially encapsulated directly in the resin of the substrate, as the substrate is formed in a continuous molding process (described below). In other cases, it sticks to the formed substrate, either by ultrasonic bonding, welding, or adhesives. Some lightweight fabrics are also hoop materials suitable for certain applications. Examples of those fabrics are the Guilford Knits Product 19902 in Greenville, South Carolina, which is made of polyester fibers and has a basis weight of only about 1.6 ounces per square yard (54 grams per square meter). For a heavier fabric, we prefer Guilford Product 19029, a nylon fabric of approximately 3.3 ounces per square yard (112 grams per square meter). Lightweight woven products are also available with TYBOR in Spain, and MIZARD in Italy. Figures IA to ID illustrate different patterns of variable bonding between the ring material 104 and the substrate 102. Those variable bonding patterns correspond, in some cases, to the different penetration of the resin into the mesh of ring-shaped material. which can be achieved by employing different configurations of boundary rings and / or barrier materials between the hoop material and the substrate, both of which are described further below. In Figure la, the ring material 104 is only fully penetrated by the resin of the substrate in narrow border regions 114, and less penetrated at its center. For example, if the hoop material is about 3/4 inch (19 millimeters) wide (WL), then the fully penetrated edge regions 114 may have a width of only about 1/8 inch (3.2 millimeters) (We) The central region of the hoop material is less penetrated and arcs gently away from the substrate, presenting the hoops for gear. The inclined sides of the central arch can also help to improve the resistance to detachment of the fastener at the edges of the fastener material, as they resolve a small component of the detachment force in a tangential direction, or shear stress. In Figure IB, the hoop material is completely bonded to the substrate in the narrow bands 116 spaced inward from its edges, leaving the shore regions 118 relatively lightly bonded, or even loose. An advantage of this bonding pattern is that the inner edge region 118 inside the associated pocket helps to deflect the separation loads caused by the change in the contents of the bag, which would otherwise generate high shedding forces between the bags. fasteners and rings, in separation forces between the hoop material and the substrate (as illustrated in Figure 2A). The high bond strength of the inner band 118 helps to avoid delamination of the ring material from the substrate. Another advantage of this joint pattern is that it improves the resistance to the initial detachment of the fastening, as the outer edge region 118 of the hoop material follows the fastener elements during detachment until it is separated in shear stress (Figure 2B). Having only an unbonded inner edge region 118 may, in some cases, provide better internal resistance to the opening (e.g., by content change) than having both inner edge regions free. We currently prefer to leave only the edge of the ring side of the disjoint closure strip of the bag mesh in most cases, as shown in Figure 31 (described later), with the edge of the hook side glued to the side. internal surface of the bag mesh.

- Figure 2C shows another closure configuration to provide good resistance to being opened from inside the bag, but that can be easily opened from outside the bag. All the hook elements 250 are configured with their gear tips to rings facing the inside of the bag, providing a difference in the resistance to internal and external detachment. With the hooks completely engaging the rings of the ring material 252, the release forces applied to the closure by the movement of the contents of the bag, in the direction of the arrow "A", are resisted to a greater degree than the forces of detachment applied by the user in the direction of arrow "B". The variable joint pattern shown in Figure IC creates transverse pillows 120 of relatively lightly bonded, or loose, ring material separated by transverse bands 122 from ring material relatively more fully bonded (eg, more deeply encapsulated). The elevation of the pillows 120 is exaggerated for illustration. This pattern provides some of the advantages that improve the detachment and load change of the pattern of Figure IB, due to the "free" ends of the pillow along the inner and outer edges of the hoop material. Figure ID illustrates a bonding pattern with longitudinal pillows 124 of relatively lightly bonded, or loose, ring material separated by longitudinal bands 126 of ring material relatively more fully bonded (eg, more deeply encapsulated). Again, the elevation of the pillows for illustration is exaggerated. Figure EE is a variation of the pattern of Figure ID, with each longitudinal band of material more fully bonded separated into longitudinally alternating regions of light and heavy link. The light and heavy link regions are staggered through the hoop material, producing a pillow board pattern of raised hoops. In the pattern illustrated in FIG. 1F, the central region of the ring material 104 is heavily bonded to the substrate toward the peripheries of the spaced, circular raised regions 125 that are less firmly joined. The exposed surfaces of the raised ring pillows 125 extend outwardly to present the gear rings. Other shapes of elevated regions 125, such as ovals, can also be employed. One of the edge regions of the hoop material of Figure 1F is similar to the shore regions shown in Figure IB, while the other forms transverse pillows similar to those in Figure IC. Figure] G shows a binding pattern with alternating light and heavy junction regions 128, and a central region joined in only 130 isolated regions. The binding patterns described above can be mixed and changed for different applications, as shown in FIG. require As an alternative to feeding a previously formed sheet of ring material into a forming clamp, to create the ring band 104 of the closure strip, looped rings can be formed subsequent to the formation of the base of the closure strip, by embracing the rings directly inside the base (as in a MALAMO process), or by gluing a strip of hoop material to the face of the closure strip. Referring again to Figure 1, molded into the front face 108 of the substrate 102, along its center, is a longitudinal rib 132 in the shape of a hump, between a pair of grooves 134 molded into the front face 108. As shown in Figure 1H, an example of this rib 132 has a height of approximately 1/32 of an inch (0.8 millimeters) and a width of approximately 1/32 of an inch (0.8 millimeters) at its base. The rib may have a hump-shaped profile, as shown, or a rectangular cross section with parallel sides. The rib is preferably longitudinally continuous, as shown, but may alternatively be formed as a row of appropriately formed projections. In at least one of the flat regions 135 between the slots 134 and the bands of rings and hooks 104 and 106 in Figure 1, there is contained, in some cases, a layer of adhesive such as a pressure sensitive adhesive (not sample), to provide a seal that can be resealed for applications where a resealable opening is desired. In these cases the surfaces 135 provide a hermetic seal, not ventilated, when the bag is closed, and complement the mechanical resistance to the closure of the hook and eye fasteners. Preferably, an adhesive is used that has been composed in such a way that it sticks mainly only to itself, or to the opposite side of the substrate, in order not to pick up too much waste from the contents of the bag. In other embodiments not illustrated, either slots 134 or rib 132, or both, are formed on the rear face of the substrate, opposite the fastener elements and the ring material. The formed closure strip 100 is permanently installed on the openable end of a bag, by attaching the edge regions 136 of the closure strip to the outer edges of the bag at its opening, with the bands of rings and hooks facing each other, as shown in Figure 3. The bag can be attached to the back face of the closure strip as shown, in which case the shore regions 136 are defined on the back face of the closing strip, or on the front face, with the edges of the bag inside. Methods for attaching the closure strip to the bag include, but are not limited to, welding, glueing, adhering, or tamping. A preferred method of attaching a closure strip to a compatible resin bag is by directly welding the resin of the closure substrate to the resin of the bag, as described below. In this way, the polyethylene closure strips can be easily welded to the polyethylene bags. Figure 4A illustrates a sealed bag 138 having a polyethylene body 140 welded to the closure strip 100 through its openable end. Preferably, the thickness of the substrate of the closure strip is approximately the same as the thickness of the material of the bag body, in the range of 0.002 to 0.005 inches (0.05 to 0.13 millimeters). However, substrates up to at least 0.015 inches (0.38 millimeters) thick can be produced by the methods described below. To initially break the seal and open the bag, the outer fold of the closure strip 100 is grasped and pulled, thereby tearing the folded edge of the bag from one end of the bag to the other, as shown in FIG. Figure 4B. By grasping the outer fold of the closure strip, the mid rib 132 is grasped between the thumb and the index finger. The rib 132 thus provides a border of increased thickness for easy gripping. Since the folded edge of the closure strip tears, the closure strip tears along the slots 134. The grooves 134 function as brittle tear points to initially open the associated bag, and may be mounted by a thickening associated local substrate, such as in the form of ribs or rows of raised protuberances (not shown), to direct the propagation of the tear along the grooves. Preferably, the resin of the substrate of the closure strip is compatible with the resin of the bag body, to allow direct welding of the two together. In situations where this is impractical, a separate layer of material compatible with the bag can be provided on the closure strip. For example, a paper layer 142 can be glued to either the front face of the closure strip (e.g., in the edge regions 136 in Figure 1), or through the back face of the closure strip, as shown in Figure 6, or along exactly the edges of the back face of the closure strip (not shown). The paper 142 can be glued directly to the resin of the substrate (eg, during the formation of the substrate, as described below), or attached with adhesive after the substrate is formed. Figure 7 illustrates a method and apparatus for producing the closure strips described above, the method is based on the continuous roll extrusion / forming method for molding the fastener elements in an integral, foil-shaped base described by Fischer in U.S. Patent No. 4,794,028, and the clamp lamination process described by Kennedy et al., In U.S. Patent No. 5,260,015, the details of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. The relative position and size of the rollers and other components is not to scale. An extrusion head 150 supplies a continuous cast resin sheet to a clamp 152, between a rotating casting roller 154, and a counter-rotating pressure roller 156. The casting roller 154 contains a configuration of miniature mold cavities, in the form of fastener elements , which extend inward from its periphery (not shown) to mold the fastener elements. The pressure in the clamp 152 forces the resin into the cavities of fastener elements, and forms the substrate. The product formed is cooled in the molding roll until the clamping elements (eg, hooks) solidified from their fixed cavities are removed by means of a spacer roller 158. A continuous strip of ring material is fed together with the molten resin. 160 (which becomes the band of rings 104 in Figure 1) inside the clamp 152, where it is partially impregnated with resin and becomes permanently attached to the front face of the substrate. In this way, the product 162 that separates from the molding roll includes both fastening elements and rings. For higher production speeds, two or more closure strip widths can be produced simultaneously in a single molding roll, and then split and wound. Referring also to Figure 8, two strips 160 of hoop product are fed in parallel, into positions 164 along the clamp 152. The molten resin is introduced through the entire clamp, forming two bands of hooks in the regions 166. Shaping roll plates of appropriate width, and edge configurations are configured to produce the ribs and slots in the center of each closure strip. A spacer channel ring in the center of the mold roll produces a spacer channel in the product, along which a ribbon is separated by means of a knife 170 (Figure 7, either stationary or rotating) in two separate runs of strip of closing that are wound separately. In some configurations, a wide section of the surface of the II The molding roller is defined by means of a single solid roller sleeve, having a profiled external surface to form one or more of the series of features that extend along the closing strip. For example, in one configuration, the entire width WA of the surface of the molding roll between the hook strips is defined by a single sleeve having an absolute differential profile that defines all the characteristics between the bands of hooks. When thin delimiting rings (described below) are employed in the ring material regions 366, the widths WB and Wc of the roll roll surface are preferably formed by solid, wide cast roller sections. The use of such wide plates provides additional resistance to the bending loads of the molding roll, caused by the pressures of the molding clamp, allowing wider product widths to be formed without excessive variations in product thickness. Figure 7 also indicates many variations of the method described above. for example, instead of introducing the ring material 160 through the clamp 152, and by thereby attaching it to the substrate as the substrate is molded, the ring material can be attached to the substrate after the ring has been formed. sust-time, as indicated by the run 160 'of hoop material shown in outline of dashes. In this case, the idler pulley 172 of the front face is heated and has a contoured surface to produce the desired bonding pattern between the hoop material and the substrate, the paper can be attached to the back face of the substrate, to produce the product shown in Figure 6, by either running a paper strip 174 through the clamp 152 on the resin side of the pressure roller, or by adhering adhesive coated paper 174 'to the substrate formed in either the spacer roller 158 or the idler pulley 176. In some cases, the adhesive coated paper 174 'includes a transfer coating, such that its paper backing can be peeled from the adhesive on the backing of the backing. product, to ensure the backing of the final product to a pillow surface. The adhesive applied to the backing of the product in this manner can be an adhesive either pressure sensitive or heat activated, for example. To decrease the permeability of the final product, a second flow of resin (either molten or in the form of a film) can be added to the clamp, against the pressure roller 156, as the strip 174 is shown, to form a backup in the final product. For example, a polyester layer can be added to reduce the permeability of a polyethylene closure strip, such as to pack certain foods. The addition of a strip of barrier material 178 between the hoop material and the molten resin optionally controls the pattern of resin penetration into the hoop material in the bracket 152. The barrier material 178 is, in some cases, a paper or perforated films that allow the resin to pass into the hoop material in selected regions, but inhibit its flow within other regions, such as to produce the bonding pattern of the central region of the hoop material shown in the Figure 1G. The barrier material can also be a homogeneous sheet of material having a high porosity, also limiting the penetration of the resin into the hoop material through the width of the barrier material. Instead of being introduced as a separate sheet, in some cases the barrier material is pre-applied to the surface of the ring material 160, and may be in the form of a binder located in discrete areas of the ring material, and locally encapsulate the fibers of the ring material, for example. in many cases, the barrier material is narrower than the hoop material, and is centered along the width of the hoop material, to allow full penetration of the resin into the edges of the hoop material. In some cases, however, for the purpose of producing the bonding pattern of Figure IB, for example, thin strips of barrier material are run inside the clamp, along the edges of the ring material, to inhibit the joining of the shore regions 118 (Figure IB) to the substrate. Other configurations of barrier materials and rings, and the resulting bonding patterns, will be apparent after reading this description. In all cases in which the barrier material becomes permanently attached to the substrate, and therefore becomes an integral part of the final product, it must be selected for its low cost of material and weight. Figure 9 illustrates the attachment of the ring material 160 to the resin of the substrate in the area 164 of the bracket 152 (Figure 8). The "boundary" rings 180 on either side of a reduced diameter plate 182 mesh the edges of the hoop material, to locally hold the edges of the hoop material against the resin of the substrate, as the resin forms the substrate under the pressure of the clamp, assuring by the same the heavy penetration of the material of rings in previously determined areas, along its edges. This configuration shown in Figure 9 produces the joint pattern illustrated in Figure IA, the bounding rings 180 forming heavily bound edge regions 114, the width we corresponding to the width of the bounding ring. The boundary rings may extend slightly beyond the diameter of the nominal casting roll, as shown in Figure 9, or be flush with the adjacent casting roll rings (as shown in Figure 9A, for example). To form a row of heavily bonded points, separated by lower resin penetration regions, some delimiting rings 180 have a contoured outer edge as shown in Figure 10. A series of projections 184 extending beyond the nominal diameter Ds of the boundary ring cause the resin to penetrate locally at a greater distance within the hoop material. In this example configuration, the Ds is 9,968 inches (25.32 centimeters), the height (hs) of each projection 184 is 0.014 inches (0.36 millimeters), and the internal and external radii (R) on the flank of each projection it is 0.015 inches (0.38 millimeters). The separation of the projection (Ps) is 0.190 inches (4.8 millimeters), and the length of the plane between the projections (wf) is 0.130 inches (3.3 millimeters). The dimensions of the projections are selected to try to optimize the maximum approach angle af of the projection flank with respect to a tangent of the local ring. A steep approach angle (i.e., an abrupt change in ring diameter) can cause an acute local increase in clamp pressure and undesirable local flooding of the front side of the ring material with resin. These flooded areas can create local "depth stops" to be attached to the fastener elements, reducing the penetration of the fastener element into the fastener material. An approach angle of zero (ie without projections) would result in a homogeneous resin penetration below the boundary ring, which may not be as desirable as the "pillow formation" of the local hoop material (described above) in some applications. The maximum approach angle a * in the boundary ring mode illustrated is approximately 40 degrees. In some cases a lower angle (eg, about 30 degrees) could be preferable, as could a larger spacing wf between the projections to provide longer, higher pillow regions. Figure 9A shows a ring delimiter configuration to produce the bond pattern shown in Figure IE. The rings deiim-. The patterns that define the profile shown in Figure 10 are delimited together with stepped projections, so that the pattern of heavily joined regions resembles a board with elongated "pillows" that extend outwards, between the heavily joined regions. . The width ws of each ring is 17 of approximately 0.018 inches (0.46 millimeters). This on-site delimiting method for attaching the ring material to the resin of a fastener substrate, as the substrate is being formed, has broad applicability to the production of composite contact fasteners. For example, Figure 12 shows a clamp 152 'between a shaping roller 154' and a pressure roller 156 '. The shaping roller 154 'contains many shaping rings 214 of thin fastener elements, which may be alternating with spacer rings (not shown), for integrally molding fasteners extending from one side of a leaf-shaped base as taught by Fischer . In this case, however, the pressure roller 156 'has a pattern of projections 216 extending from its otherwise smooth surface. The projections locally narrow the intermediate open space 152 'in discrete regions, causing a variation in the pressure of the clamp during the formation of the fastener tape. Running a previously fibrous formed material through the clamp, against the pressure roll with the molten resin, as taught by Kennedy et al., In this configuration, will cause the fibers of the previously formed material to encapsulate more fully in the resin, in the areas corresponding to the "projections 216. This" boundary "method at the site is particularly useful when the previously formed fibrous material is a thin, very porous material, such as a non-woven stitched mesh with a low basis weight. of projections on the pressure roller is selected to form a reverse pattern of raised "pillows" of hoop material, at most only partially encapsulated in the resin of the substrate Figure 13 is a cross section through a composite fastener tape 218 produced in this way, having a configuration of fastener elements 220 in the form of a hook, extending from a of the substrate 222, and a non-woven, lightweight mesh of hoop material 224 permanently attached to an opposite side of the substrate. The ring material 224 is coextensive with the substrate in this case (ie, it extends across the full width of the substrate), but is completely encapsulated in the resin of the substrate only in discrete regions 226. Between the regions 226, the Ring material forms the "pillows" 228 described above, or raised regions that are not completely encapsulated in the resin. The elevation of the pillows 228 allows the heads of the fastener elements 220 to penetrate the hoop material, and engage the individual fibers during fastening. A similarly contoured pressure roll 156 'may also be used (FIG. 12) to join a strip of hoop material to the side of the fastener element of a fastener tape. Figure 11 illustrates an alternative method and apparatus for forming the closure strips described above, the contoured surface of an extrusion head 188 (sometimes called an injection head) is positioned adjacent a molding roller 154 (with element molding cavities) fixed fasteners, as described above with respect to Figure 7), and a continuous stream of molten resin under pressure is injected into the intermediate open space 190, defined between the head 188 and the molding roll 154, filling the cavities of fasteners, and by forming the front and rear faces of the substrate, the configuration and construction of the shaping roll 154 is the same as shown in Figure 8, in which the member 156 can be taken to be the adjacent extrusion head. The strip 160 of hoop material is fed through a predetermined region of the intermediate open space 190, and is held against the surface of the shaping roller 154 by the resin pressure in the intermediate open space. In this way, the ring material is partially impregnated with the resin of the substrate, and permanently attached to the front face of the substrate, in applications where it is not possible to fill the cavities of fastener elements, without completely saturating the ring surface of the fasteners. With the material of rings with the resin, a strip of barrier material 178 can be fed through the intermediate open space 190 between the head 188 and the ring material 160. The barrier material 178 was described in more detail above with respect to the Figure 7. For some applications, a strip 174 of paper or other suitable backing material is laminated to the back face of the substrate, while keeping the molded product in the molding roll 154, by means of the pressure supplied by a roll of pressure 192, as shown in the outline of dashes. Alternatively, a strip of coated paper with adhesive 174 'can be adhered to the formed substrate, either in the separator roller 158 or in the idler 176. FIG. 14 illustrates an inverted vertical form / fill method (VFF) and method for forming and filling bags (such as bag 138 of Figure 4A). The closure strip 100 and a sheet of bag material 194 are each folded and fed to a longitudinal mandrel 196, with its edges overlapped at two points. In the embodiment shown, both the bag material 194 and the substrate of the closure strip 100 are polyethylene. Two heated rollers 198 (only one visible from the illustrated perspective) weld the edges of the closure strip and the bag material together, to form a continuous tube 200 with two sealed longitudinal seams. In the apparatus shown, the tube 200 extends upwards, through a lower sealing / sealing device 202, and an upper sealing device 204. In the formation and filling sequence of bags, the tube 200 is advanced towards up until its open end is aligned with the upper sealing device 204. Then the lower sealing device / cutter 202 forms a transverse seal through the tube to form a sealed side of the resulting bag. The bag is then filled from above, through the still open end of the tube, with the material supplied through the hopper 206. After a predetermined amount of material has been released into the bag, the open end is sealed of the tube by means of the upper sealing device 204, to form a sealed bag 138, which is then separated from the tube 200 by cutting the tube just below the previously formed transverse seal, by means of the lower sealing / sealing device 202. The bag 138 has one edge 208 of folded bag material 194, two sealed edges 210, and a bank 212 of bent closure strip 100. Those of ordinary skill in the bag making art know other methods for sealing closure strips to materials of stock For example, to seal the paper-covered surface of the closure strip 100 '(FIG. 6) to a bag material 194 of paper, a layer of adhesive would normally be applied between the superimposed paper edges of the closure strip and the substrate. bag material. Figure 15 illustrates a modification to a more common VFF machine configuration, to continuously secure the closure strip described above to a flow of bag-forming mesh, during the formation and filling of individual bags. The bag forming mesh consists of a thin sheet of thermoplastic film 254, which is formed inside a tube by means of feeding through a filling tube 256, having an upper funnel end 258, through which they are discharged the contents so that they fall inside of individual bags formed from the film. The film 254 is fed from a roller (not shown) onto a post roller, and is guided over the filling tube by means of curved guide shapes 262. In some cases, the film is continuously advanced and the sealing jaws transverse 264 (described later) reciprocate vertically, traveling with the film during the sealing / cutting process (as indicated by arrows 265); in other cases the film is advanced in increments and the transverse jaws remain within the same horizontal plane. As the film 254 is formed within a tube, its two longitudinal edges 268 form flanges that extend generally radially from the tube, between which a continuous length of closure strip 266 is fed, in a bent condition, such that the edge regions of the mesh film are at least partially against the outer sides of the closure strip, in face-to-face relationship, but do not overlap the folded edge of the closure strip. The guide rollers 270 on the sealing sealing bars 272 maintain the adjacency of the sides of the closure strip and the edges of the film. The closure strip 266 is fed through a contoured insulating rail 274, which extends longitudinally along the filling tube, from over the guide rollers 270 to below the sealing sealing bars 272. As shown in the Figures 15A and 16, the insulator rail 274 has a longitudinal groove along each of its sides. One slot accommodates the ring material 104, for the purpose of preventing crushing of the extended engaging rings, and the other slot receives the hooks 106 of the closure strip, helping to guide the closure strip through the sealing process. The rail 274 also has a notch extending along its distal end, to accommodate the mid-grip rib 132 of the closure strip. The main purpose of the insulating rail 274 is to inhibit unwanted welding of the inner sides of the closure strip together, as the edges of the bag film are welded to the outer surfaces of the closure strip by the sealing bars Closing 272 (see Figure 16). When an insulating rail is not employed, the closure strip can be configured to utilize the insulating properties of the ring material, to prevent permanent sealing of the internal surfaces of the closure strip, as described more fully below. The closure strip 266 can either be wound from the roller 276 on a guide roller 278 in a bent condition, as shown, with its hooks and rings engaged, and then pulled on the insulator rail 274, thereby separating the sections of hook and ring of the closing strip, or the closing strip can be wound flat and then bent towards the insulating rail, avoiding by the same having to disengage the sections of hooks and rings in the process. Each of the sealing sealing jaws 272 has a longitudinal groove adjacent the longitudinal grooves of the insulation rail 274, so that the heated sealing jaws are slidably contacted with the edge regions of the film only in one of the sides of the hook and loop strips of the closure strip, sealing the film to the closure strip in two discrete bands on each side of the closure strip. The sealing jaws 272 have appropriate heating elements embedded therein (not shown) to maintain the sealing surfaces at a pre-determined elevated temperature. In order to leave the inner edge of the hoop side of the free sealing strip of the film, to form an anti-peel hinge (as described above with respect to Figures 2A and 2B), the sealing jaw 272 is at least partially lowered in the The ring side of the closure, as shown, to prevent adhesion of the inner edge of the ring side of the closure strip with the bag film. To form an even wider antislip hinge, the sealing jaw 272 can be configured on the ring side of the closure to contact the bag film only out of the band of the ring material 104. Immediately below the edges lower jaws 272, the insulating rail 274 ends and the hook and eye bands of the closure strip are pressed together between a pair of rollers 280, just above the lower end of the filling tube 256. After a quantity has been discarded selected from contents through the lower end of the filling tube, the transverse sealing jaws 264 are joined around the bag film and the closure strip and form two parallel, transverse seals 284, each of which will form the sealed edge of the bag. a bag. As the jaws 264 travel with the advancing film, a cutting knife 282 inside the jaws cuts the film and the closing strip between the transverse seals 284. When the jaws 264 are opened at the end of the sealing cycle, a bag , completely formed, filled and cut 286, is complete. Figure 16A shows another configuration for sealing a closure strip 288 to the edge regions of a film mesh 254 as the film mesh is fed around a filling tube 256, to create what we call an inverted closure which has free outer edges and a recessed central portion. In this configuration, the closure strip is guided on a separate insulation rail 290 extending between the edges of the film and the opposite sides of the closure strip, similar in cross-section to the insulation rail of Figure 16 , but in the opposite orientation. In this case, the closure strip 288 is provided with a central tear notch 292, rather than a central rib, along which the closure is opened to initially open the bag. In the bag that is formed with this style closure, the contents of the bag are not exposed to the hook and loop elements prior to the initial opening, and the central portion of the closure strip provides an obvious seal to tampering . The sealing strip 288 is permanently sealed to the bag film by the heated sealing jaws 272 ', which are similar in construction to the sealing jaws 272 of Figure 16. Figures 17-19 illustrate three examples of the machines and processes of horizontal / filling (HFF) that present the closing strips described above. Referring first to Figure 17, a bag film 254 is continuously fed from the roller 294 onto the position roller 296 and into a forming head 298 which is shaped to form the film in a rectangular tube 300. As with the VFF method described above, the edges of the film are joined to form a perpendicular fin 302 extending from one side of the tube. In this case, the closing strip 100 is fed from the roller 304, bent to engage the bands of the hook and the ring, passed through the angled roller 306, and fed into the clamp between the stamp rollers fins heated 308, between the edges of the bag film. Meanwhile, the individual products 310 to be packed (eg, cookie sheets) are fed through the forming head and into the tube of the film 300 at a predetermined spacing and speed, which corresponds to the speed of the bag movie. As shown in Figure 17A, the outer surfaces of the bent closure strip 100 are permanently welded to the extender film tabs forming the perpendicular fin 302 of the film tube in the clamp between the stamp rollers 308 of the fin. No insulation rail is needed between the inner surfaces of the closure strip, in this case because the air between the hooks and the rings extending from the inner surfaces of the closure strip, avoid extensive sealing within the enclosure. the closing strip. With the proper adjustment of the temperature and pressure of the rollers 308, which depend on the type of ream that is used and the speed of the line, among other things, at most only a small fraction of the head and hook elements on the hook band 106 will be bonded slightly to the material of the ring 104 or the resin in which the material of the ring is embedded. This small amount of adhesion will conveniently increase the amount of debarking force that is required to initially open the package, leaving a sufficient proportion of undamaged hook elements, to provide the proper coupling after reclosure. We note that with many resins of the hook and the hoop, it will be necessary to carefully adjust and control the speeds, temperatures and pressures, to provide a light adhesion while avoiding the rapid progression of fusion of the hook. With reference again to Figure 17, the diagonally displacing bender rollers (not shown) are bent over the fin seal, and a pair of displacement rollers 312 carrying a heated seal bar and the cutting blade, They seal the ends of the bags and separate the bags from each other. Figure 18 shows a similar HFF process, in which the closure strip 100 is folded over the outside of the two bag film tabs and an isolation rail 314 of the flap seal that extends just downstream of the flaps. heated fin seal rollers 308. Passing around the angled roller 306, the closure strip 100 is folded into a guide channel 316 so that the edges of the closure strip overlap the edges of the bag film, as it is shown in Figure 18A. These overlapping regions are welded together on either side of the isolation rail 314 by the fin sealing rollers. As the seal of the flap is bent before passing between the displacement rollers 312, the hook and eye straps of the closure strip are pressed together before the inner surfaces of the pouch film tabs are pressed together. weld together at the end seals of the bag. The hook and ring bands can also be welded together at the end seals, if desired, by providing sufficient heat, pressure and dwell time of the heated sealing bar portion of the moving rolls that are laid in contact with the closing strip in the hook / ring interconnection. Figure 19 illustrates the incorporation of a reclosable closure strip in a more common HFF machine configuration, with the seal of the longitudinal fin 302 being formed on the underside of the rectangular film tube 300. As in FIG. Figure 18, the closure strip 100 is folded around the outside of the flanges of the edge of the extended film, which are separated by an insulation rail (not shown), which extends through the clamp between the sealing rollers of the flap 308. Figure 20 shows another application of our closure strip in a process for making bags. The closure strip 318 differs from the closure strip shown in Figure 1 only in that it contains a pull cord 320 (Figure 22) embedded along its center rib 132.

The pull cord is configured to tear through the closure strip and the bag film longitudinally between the hook and loop bands when pulled transversely towards the closure strip, and therefore must be of sufficient tensile strength to tear through the resin of the closure strip without breaking. Suitable pull cord materials include stretched nylon, such as fishing line, for example. The pull cord is embedded within the rib resin of the central closure strip by feeding it continuously into the rib formation channel 322 of the molding roll (Figure 8), prior to the introduction of the resin rib former (such as along the feed path labeled 178 in Figures 7 or 11). Appropriate guides (not shown) are recommended to prevent the pull cord from coming out of the rib formation channel.

The closure strip 318 is passed around a guide roller 324 for traveling with the bag film 254 on a folding collar 326, where it permanently adheres to the film under heat and pressure by a sealing shoe 328. As Shown in Figure 21, the sealing shoe 328 slidably engages the closure strip along three bands, forming three continuous welds 330 between the closure strip and the bag film 254. The collar 326 supports the film of bag against the light pressure that is applied by means of the sealing shoe. The channels 332 and 334 in the sealing shoe accommodate the hook band 106 and the center rib 132 of the closure strip, as appropriate, and maintain the transverse location of the closure strip during adhesion. The outer edge of the hoop side of the closure strip is not welded to the bag film in this case, to provide an internal anti-peel hinge in the finished bag, as shown in Figure 22. Other adhesion configurations are employed for different applications. Once they are welded together, the bag film 254 and the closure strip 318 are folded along their longitudinal center lines and passed between two drive rollers 336 which press the hook and ring bands of the strip close together, and ensure an appropriate fold along the spine of the closure strip. The fold of the bag film and the closure strip is effected by the collar 326 and a folded idler pulley 338 running along the center of the closure strip and defining an edge groove 340 to receive the central rib of the bag. the closing strip during bending. Thereafter, the folded bag film is passed between a pair of alternating seal / cut jaws 342, which are closed against the outer surfaces of the bag film to seal both sides of the folded bag film and the bag strip. bent closure, to form a series of individual pouches, each small pouch being sealed on all three sides and having a single opening 344 for subsequent filling. The jaws 342 can be configured to also separate the pouches from one another during sealing, or to leave the small pouches connected in the form of a chain of small pouches that can be easily pulled through an adjacent closed filling station (not it shows) . Figure 23 gives an example of a side seal configuration of pouch which is formed by the jaws 342 of Figure 20, in which a slot 346 and a notch 348 are cut into a vertical seal that is formed between the pouches. adjacent. The heated faces of the jaws 342 form complementary die portions to cut through the bag film and the closure strip, to form the configuration that is shown as the inner bag is formed. The pouches are then filled through their open ends, which are sealed by subsequently. By means of separating the lower segments 350 joining the adjacent pouches along the center lines 352, the extended traction tabs 354 are formed on the edges of each pouch. Each pull tab 354 contains a final portion of the pull cord 320, and provides the convenient element for gripping and pulling the pull cord through the closure strip along the pouch, as shown in Figure 24. In the method for forming bags that is shown in the Figure 25, the closure strip 318, which is already folded in half, is fed through an angled roller 356 and between the longitudinal edges 358 of the bag film 254, as the film is bent within the collar 326. A pair of heated sealing rolls 360 continuously seal the regions of the edge of the bag film for overlap of the closure strip. An insulation rail is not needed since the ring material of the closure strip, which in this case is wide enough to extend through the entire sealing region, inhibits the adhesion of the opposing inner surfaces of the sealing strip. closing (as further described below with respect to Figures 36 and 37). After passing through the sealing jaws 342 of the edge, the folded edge 362 of the bag film is trimmed along the line 364, leaving the ends of the pouches opposite the closure strip open, to receive the ends. materials that will be packed. Then, the series of pouches can be wound up for sale or a subsequent filling. Figure 26 shows a method for making bags from two separate sheets of bag film and the bag closure strip described above. The upper and lower plastic films 368 and 370, respectively, are unrolled continuously, either with a pre-bent fastener strip or pre-engaged hook and eye strips 372 that feed between them, as shown. An insulation rail 374 extends between the hook and loop strips, temporarily disengaging the hooks of the rings, since the hook and eye strips are each permanently welded to the respective internal sides of the films of plastic between two rotating sealing rollers 376 (only the upper roller is shown). The parallel films and the fastener strips are then welded together at spaced intervals by the heated transverse sealing jaws 378, which form side seals between the adjacent pouches which are then filled from their open ends (not shown) and closed by the sets upper and lower sealing jaws 380. This process is also useful, for example, to form a series of prefabricated bags to be rolled or stacked for later filling. Bag 382 that is formed by this process has four side seals 384, as shown in Figure 26A ", together with closure 372. Side seal 384 is pulled adjacent and parallel to closure 372 to open the bag and expose the closure In another embodiment (not shown), the lateral seal 384 adjacent and parallel to the closure 372 is omitted, together with the upper set of sealing jaws 380 in Figure 26, and a bent closure strip is inserted (e.g. strip 318 of Figure 25) in place of the separate strips 372, with the fold of the closure strip pointing outward toward the adjacent side of the continuous films In another embodiment, to produce an "inverted" closure configuration similar to that shown in Figure 36, the closing strip bent between the plastic films is fed with its fold extending away from the adjacent edge of the films.

The closure strip also provides, in some cases, an external, wide bag surface to carry text, logo or marketing indications. In Figure 27, a product bag 400 is formed generally of loosely woven plastic mesh, to provide unobstructed air circulation and a clear view of the quality of the enclosed product. The plastic mesh is formed in a bag with a fold on the lower edge 402 and is thermally fused or seamled along its two sides 404, one of which may remain open until the contents are inserted. A wide closure strip 406 that is sewn or welded to the mesh of the plastic bag at the upper end of the bag, provides a printed 408 solid surface with the appropriate marketing information and indications, which can be applied to the closure strip, either before or after it is attached to the plastic mesh that forms the remainder of the bag. In other cases, the wide outer face of the closure strip provides a support for securing the adhesive labels (not shown) printed with that information. In the example shown, the closure strip is thermally welded to the plastic mesh in the regions 410 (while an insulating rail, not shown, is placed between the surfaces of the inner closure strip, to avoid permanent adhesion between the sides of the closure strip, as described above). For convenient handling, a C-shaped crack 412 is cut through both sides of the closure strip outside its hook and eye bands to form a carrier handle. In other applications, air circulation holes may be provided through the sides of the closure strip, as necessary. As shown in Figure 28, the closure strip is of a construction similar to that of the closure strip of Figure 1, but with some modifications. Notably, the total width of the closure strip 406 is approximately 6.2 inches (15.7 centimeters), with a separation distance WD of the fastener band of approximately 3.9 inches (9.9 centimeters), which provides sufficient width to print with the closing edges either outward or inward of the mesh of the plastic bag. The width WE of the hook and loop bands 106 and 104, respectively, is approximately 0.75 inches (19 millimeters), with outer shore regions 3/8 inches (9.5 millimeters) wide, which have welded thickened zones 414 Figure 29 shows the details of the central characteristics of the closure strip. The grip rib 416 slides slightly from the center line 418 (ie, the midline between the hook and loop belts), so that when the closure strip is bent, the grip rib will be biased to lie on a predetermined side of the fold, avoiding the variability in the alignment of the band of the hook / ring that causes the line of the fold that fluctuates between the two sides of the rib. The rib 416 has both a width WF, and a height HF of about 1/32 inch (0.8 millimeters) and is immediately adjacent to a shallow groove 420 extending along the length of the closure strip, a width WG of approximately 1/32 inch (0.8 millimeters) and a depth, dG, of approximately 0.002 inches (0.05 millimeters). The slot 420 provides some space for the rib 416 with the folded closure on the center line 418. Separated from the rib and the slot are the tear control features. These include a continuous tear stop rib 422 of height HH of approximately 0.002 inches (0.05 millimeters), immediately outward from a continuous tear propagation groove. Two preferred tear propagation slot profiles are shown. On the left of Figure 29, the slot 424a is square profile with pointed bottom corners to concentrate the pressure during tearing. To the right of Figure 29, the slot 424b is triangular in profile with a single corner, acute at its center to concentrate the pressure. For the reasons explained above, to form this pattern of characteristics, the shaping roll is preferably equipped with a single ring plate of width Wj having a turned external surface to form all the features shown. The nominal thickness of the base of the closure, t, is approximately 0.006 inches (0.15 millimeters) in this case, but for the different applications, it will be selected between approximately 0.004 and 0.030 inches (0.1 and 0.8 mm). As shown in Figure 30, the thickened welded zones 414 near the edges of the closure strip extend a distance dw of approximately 0.012 inches (0.3 millimeters) from the base of the closure strip (giving these areas, which have a width W? of approximately 0.120 inches (or 3.0 millimeters a total thickness of approximately 0.018 inches or 0.46 millimeters) Without adjusting the profile of the extrusion die or otherwise varying the amount of the resin entering through the The length of the clamp as the closure strip is formed, the practical maximum thickness and width of the welded areas 414 will depend on the flow properties of the resin, as well as the pressures and temperatures involved. closure strip in the areas to be welded to other materials in the bag, provides more resin available for flow and adhesion during welding. The larger surface absorbs more heat and helps prevent the inner surfaces of the base of the closure strip from welding together. Thicker materials are also less sensitive to fluctuations in welding conditions, facilitating more consistent adhesion. For some applications, the closure strip provides hook elements that engage the rings on the outer surface of the bag, such as to attach the packaged product to a deployment or other supporting surface. For example, Figure 31 shows a closure strip 426 at the upper end of a bag 428, which has a band 430 of molded hook fastener elements extending from its outer surface and exposed to mesh the eyelet fibers. . The closure strip may include a grasping rib 132 as shown, and configured to tear above the web 430, so that the outer hooks remain in the open bag. Alternatively, the closure strip can be configured for tearing between the band 430 and the upper edge of the bag film, in which case the grip rib could be unnecessary. The hooks of the band 430 are useful, for example, for hanging the bag 428 from a deployment rack covered with the material of the ring. To stretch multiple bags together, a band in counterpart of hooks (not shown) can be provided elsewhere on the outer surface of the bag, so that band 430 of each bag engages the exposed hook band of a bag. adjacent to the chain. Figure 31 also illustrates an example of the material configuration of the solder ring that is described below with respect to Figures 36 and 37. Optionally, the closure strip 426 may include an outer band 432 of material of the ring, which extends from one side of the bag opposite the exposed band 430 of the hooks, to secure the bags together in a pile. In another embodiment (not shown), the closure strip has an exposed band 432 of rings, but no exposed band 430 of hooks, and is hung by them from a deployment rack having extending hook elements. Figure 32 shows a machine configuration for producing the closure strip 426 of Figure 31. A first resin 434 is extruded into a clamp between a hook forming roll 154 and a soft pressure roll 156, together with the material of ring 104, to form the band of the main ring of the closure and, optionally, the material of the ring 432 to form the secondary (ie, external) ring band of the closure. The cooling resin travels with the molding roll to a second clamp between the roll 154 and a secondary hook forming moulder 436, where a second flow of resin is attached from the extruder 438. The flow of resin from the extruder 438 it is much narrower than the resin that travels on the roller 154, and is applied only on specific strips corresponding to the secondary (ie, external) hook bands that are formed in the closure strip. The resin of the extruder 438 is forced into the hook-forming cavities in the roller 436 by the pressure of the clamp, and cooled as the closure strip travels over the surface of the roller 436, until the secondary hooks pull. of their cavities in the roller 440. In this way, the primary hook band 106 and the secondary hook band 430 are formed by the rolls 154 and 436, respectively, and are formed, in some applications, of different resins. As will be readily understood from this example, other machine configurations will produce similar products. For example, the upstream mold can be used to mold the secondary hooks and the base of the closure, the downstream mold roll (ie, the upper mold roll in Figure 32) forming the primary hooks. In this case, the material of the primary ring 104 will be preferably inserted against the roller 156. Referring now to Figures 33 and 34A, the pocket 442 includes a sealing strip 444 sealed along its two edges to the film of bag 446 with welds 330. Along its lower edge, the sealing strip is welded on its external face; on its upper edge it welds on its internal face. In the embodiment illustrated, the closure 444 differs from the closure 100 of Figure 1, because its tear rib 132 extends from the face opposite the face in which its eye and hook bands 104 and 106, respectively, are worn. . Additionally, the rib 132 contains a pull cord 320, as described above with respect to Figures 22-24. The rib 132 is formed in a corresponding slot in the pressure roller opposite the hook forming molding roller in a Fischer-like process, the cord for pulling 320 into the resin of the closure strip being inserted into the slot. Located on the inner side of the pocket as shown, the pull cord 320 of the rib 132 tears through the full thickness of the base of the closure strip as it is pulled outward (in the direction of the arrow). G "in Figure 34A), to open the pocket. Alternatively, the rib 132 can be located on the same side of the closure strip as the hook and eye bands (as in the strip 100 of Figure 1), with the appropriate tear characteristics extending as far as possible. length on either side of the rib, to facilitate tearing of the closure strip, even without a pull cord 320 embedded. In yet another embodiment (not shown), the pull cord 320 is simply placed on the inner side of the closure strip (without thickening of the enclosure base or rib) and pulled across the base in the direction of arrow "G" to open the pouch. This configuration is produced by introducing the roller side of the resin, without a rib-forming groove in the pressure roller. As shown in Figure 33, a tab 440 is formed in a c-shaped pull on one side of the pocket by die cutting the outer line of the tab for pulling through the rib 132 and the base of the strip. closure 444 within an unsealed region 450 within lateral seal 452 of the pouch, without cutting through the pouch film behind the closure strip. Because the closure strip is not adhered to the bag film (forming the back side of the pouch) within region 450, the cut pull tab is free to grip and pull through the face of the pouch between the piles. bands of hook and eye of the closing strip, opening the pocket as shown in Figure 34B. Alternatively, a hole can be provided through the layer of the bag film at 450, thereby leaving the tongue 448 exposed to grip it. In Figure 33 the inscription 454 is shown, printed on the exposed side of the closure strip to indicate the location of the pull tab. As an alternative means for exposing the pull cord to be grasped, in another embodiment (not shown) a narrow width of the closure strip 444 is left which contains the pull cord 320 extending beyond the edge of the cord. the bag film, which is exposed to be pulled through the side seal 452 and through the face of the bag. The seal 452 can be configured as a weld that can be peeled off if necessary, to facilitate the grip of the rib or cord to pull through the seal, without breaking it.

After being opened, the pocket 442 can be closed by bending over the top edge of the pocket, so that the hook and eye bands 106 and 104 of the closure strip 444 overlap and mesh, as shown in Figure 34C. To reopen the pouch, the contact fastener is simply uncoupled and the upper part of the pouch is unfolded. To form the pouch 442, the closure strip 444 is first sealed along its bottom edge, to one edge of a continuous pouch film sheet. The closure / film combination then proceeds through the pouch forming process that is known in the art, instead of the pouch film alone. As a final step, before the adjacent pouches are separated from one another, the pouches are filled through their upper ends before the upper weld 330 is formed between the closure strip and the pouch film, to seal the pouch. sack It is also noted that this configuration of the closure strip has the advantage that the eye and hook bands 104 and 106 of the closure strip generally do not come into contact with the contents of the pouches, making this particularly a configuration. Applicable to pouches containing fibrous or similar materials, which could be embedded in the hook or eye bands and decrease the effectiveness or cosmetic appeal of the closure over time. In another sequence, which is not illustrated, the closure strip is sealed to the film after the bag film is folded through the center. The closure strip is configured, in some cases, to fold over itself several times after opening to form a substantially impermeable seal. For example, the closure strip 456 of the domestic dry cleaning bag 458 of Figures 35A-35D is of sufficient width, as compared to the placement of its eye and hook bands 104 and 106, so that it easily bends two. several times after it has been opened, to engage the hook and ring bands to form a releasable closure (Figure 35D). As with the embodiment of Figure 33, the hook and ring bands of the closure remain separate from the contents of the bag as they are carried on the outside of the bag. To effect the overlap of the hook and eye bands when the bag is folded twice, the eye band 104 is placed much closer to the rib to grip 132 on the top edge of the bag, than the hook band 106 The appropriate relative dimensions that are required to effect this overlap will be apparent from the sequential illustration of Figures 35B-35D. As the two separate sides of the closure strip 456 are folded together twice, two distinct bends 460a and 460b are formed. The ability of these bends to form a seal against the penetration of gas or liquid will depend on the impermeability of the bends and the viscosity of the fluid to be sealed, among other things, but these bends will form effective seals for many applications, such as in bags for domestic dry cleaning equipment, as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,238,587, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. For these applications in which the bag does not have to remain sealed before being used, the upper edge of the bag containing the rib 132 can be separated from the bag during the production of the bags, so that the bag is sold in the bag. an open condition as in Figure 35B. As another alternative, the closure strip can be in the form of two separate strips, a hook strip and a ring strip, each strip forming one side of the closure and being welded separately to the bag film. For some applications, the closure of the bag is welded between two separate sheets of film to form a bag. Figure 36 shows one of these bag closures 462 welded to the side sheets of the bag 464a and 464b, forming what we call an "inverted" closure. The side sheets of the bag extend beyond the closure strip and are themselves welded together to form the upper edge 466 of the bag. After the closure strip has adhered to the sides of the bag, and the side edges of the bag have been sealed (not shown), the bag is filled from its other end, in the direction of the arrow "J ", which is then sealed to close the bag. To initially open the bag, the edge 466 is pulled, tearing the side sheets of the bag along the perforations 468. Next, the closure strip is forced to open and the mesh of the closure strip is pulled in two to along the tear groove 470 in the fold of the closing strip. To re-close the bag, simply the ring and hook bands 104 and 106 of the closure strip are pressed together. The welding pattern shown in Figure 36 provides the anti-peel advantages described above, since the inner edge of the ring side of the closure strip remains without adhering to the side sheet of the bag 464b. In Figure 37 a method for forming this welding pattern is shown, in which the sealing strip 462 is welded simultaneously to the two side sheets of the bag 464a and 464b by the heated jaws 472 and 474, respectively. Conveniently, the material of the ring 104 is configured on the bent closure strip to overlap the two welding zones of the inner and outer sealing strip, inhibiting any permanent welding of the sides of the closure strip. For applications where a small amount of adhesion is acceptable (or desirable) between the inner faces of the closure strip, a cooled jaw 476 against the side of the ring of the bag adjacent to the internal weld zone avoids any adhesion undesirable of the inner edge of the side of the ring of the closure, with the side sheet of the bag 464b. As an alternative to applying the closure strip to the bag film as the bag film is formed into bags, the closure strip can be pre-applied to the bag film, and the two rolled together in rolls. These configurations are particularly useful in the subsequent formation of bags on standard bag making machines that are not equipped for the application of closure strips. For example, Figures 38A to 38C show wound or rolled film products consisting of a thin sheet of thin plastic film that permanently adheres to one or more continuous lengths of closure products. In Figure 38A, the closure strip 318 is centered over the bag film 254, such as to form bags with the process illustrated in Figure 20. In Figure 38B, the closure strip 444 is sealed throughout from one edge of the pouch film 446 to form the rolled product 482, such as to form the pouch 442 of Figure 33. In Figure 38C, the separate sections of the hook and eye products 484 and 486 adhere, respectively, to the opposite edges of the film 488, to form the rolled product 490, which can be run through the standard form / fill processes to incorporate resealable closures within longitudinal fin seals. With reference to Figure 39, the bag 500 consists of a piece of polyethylene bag material folded once to form the lower edge 502 of the bag, attached to a closure 504 to form the upper edge 505 of the bag, and sealed permanently along the remaining two sides 506 and 508 by means of welding the material of the front face of the bag, to the material of the back face of the bag. Although illustrated as a flat pouch, the pouch 500 can be constructed in other forms, such as a pouch with a folded lower end for lifting the right pouch on its lower edge. With reference to Figure 40, initially opening the sealed bag, grasping the upper edge 502 in one hand 510 and gripping the front face of the bag in the other hand 512, on either side of a fragile channel 514 extending along the closure 504 By simply grabbing or pinching the front face of the bag away from the top edge, a high tension load is placed through the channel 514, propagating a tear along the channel 514 which creates an opening 515 within the bag. As shown in Figure 41A, the bag material is welded from the back side 516 of the bag to the back (i.e., non-fastener) side of the resealable closure 504 at 518. The material of the front side bag 520 of the bag is welded to the closure along a rim region 522 on the front side (i.e., fastener) of the closure 504. With the closure thereby attached to the bag material, and sealed along the sides of the bag. bag (see Figure 39), the closure provides a waterproof, watertight seal on one end of the bag. The front face of the closure 504 carries a strip 524 of fibrous rings, in a non-woven form and partially embedded within the base resin of the closure, and a strip 526 of hook-shaped fastener elements that are molded from resin to the base in rows that extend along the length of the closure. After initially opening by pulling the closure along the slot 514, the bag can be reclosed by folding its top edge around the opening that was created by tearing the closure, engaging in a manner Removable strip 524 from rings with hook strip 526 (Figure 41B). With reference to Figures 42 and 43, closure 504 is a polyethylene strip having a total width "W" of approximately 1.5 inches (38 millimeters) and a nominal thickness "T" of approximately 0.004 inches (0.1 millimeters). the ring band 524 has a width wL of approximately 0.5 inches (12 millimeters), and a hook band 526 has a width wH of approximately 0.375 inches (9.5 millimeters). The hook and loop bands are separated by a wc distance of approximately 0.29 inches (7.4 millimeters), at whose centers the slot 514 is formed which is 0.002 inches (0.05 millimeters) deep and extends over a width wG of about 0.036. inches (0.9 mm). Thus, in the slot 514, the closure has a reduced thickness TG of only about 0.002 inches (0.05 millimeters). The remaining width of the closure strip forms an open weld flange 527 out of the band 526 of fastener elements to weld or otherwise join the closure strip to the material of the bag. There is an array of tear stop features 528 that extends in many parallel rows on the two sides of the slot 514 through the entire area of the closure separating the hook and loop belts, which is molded unitarily with the front face of the closing strip. As shown in Figure 44, tear stop features 528 are hump-shaped protrusions that move longitudinally from the protuberances of adjacent rows to form a protruding chessboard matrix to limit the propagation of tear from the tear channel. With a height of only about 0.006 inches (0.15 millimeters) from the face of the closure, the tear stops 528 are substantially shorter than the engagable hook elements, so that the tear stops do not interfere with the engagement of the coupling. the fastening elements or the folding of the bag after opening it. With reference to Figure 45, the bag 500 'is of construction similar in all respects to that of the bag 500 described above, except for the configuration of the attachment of the bag material to the front face 520 of the bag to the lower edge of the closing strip 504. In this case, the welding zone 522 between the material of the bag and the closure strip is separated from the free edge 530 of the material of the bag 520, so that the far edge of the material of the bag forms a hinge for cantilever pull 532, exposed, which extends along the entire width of the bag. In this way, to open the bag 500 'by breaking the closure strip along its tear groove, one hand grasps the upper edge 505 of the bag, as with the bag 500, but the other hand, more It is good to pinch the wide expansion of the material of the bag that forms the front face, hold the hinge to convenient pull 532. The construction of the bag 500 'could be particularly advantageous where incidentally to pinch the contents of the bag should be avoided. , for example . In Figure 46 another hinge configuration for pulling is illustrated. In this case, the upper edge 534 of the material of the front face bag is securely welded to the front face of the closure 504, without leaving a graspable end exposed along its entire length, but the material of the bag is pre-cut to form a spreading tab 536 of the bag material in the center of the bag. With reference to Figure 47, the bag 550 is similar in construction to the bags already described, except that its closure 552 has, instead of a brittle channel or groove, a tear rib 554 of substantially greater width. than the one at the base of the closure. The tear rib 554 extends along the middle portion between the eye and hook bands and is adapted to be gripped at one end 556 and pulled to separate the tear rib from the remainder of the closure material along the width of the bag. To improve the grip of the end 556 of the tear rib 554, two features are formed in the bag and the closure material adjacent to the end of the tear rib, preferably by means of cutting methods. First, a notch 558 is formed in the material of the bag forming the back side of the bag, immediately behind the end of the tear rib 556, large enough to facilitate holding the tear rib independent of the material of the bag. bag, but that does not extend through the full width ws of the seal of the bank (if the integrity of the bag should be maintained unopened). Second, two slits 560a and 560b are made through the base of the closure 504 and extend at an angle from the edge of the bag 562 in, but not through, the tear rib 554. The base of the closure enters the ribs. cracks 560a and 560b thereby form a pull tab 564 with a wide distal end, free of any material from the bag, for improved fastening. With reference to Figure 48, another process for making bags presents the application of the closure strip in discrete lengths through the bag film (i.e., transverse), instead of longitudinally, as described above. The bag film 254 is unraveled from a roller 570 and over the filling tube 256 on the guide ways 262, as described above with respect to Figure 15. However, in this case, the individual sections 572 of the closing strip through the bag film and permanently attached to the film, such as by thermal welding, at bag length intervals. Preferably, the joining of the closure strips occurs while the bag film is passed between the advances of the film, such as while a bag at the lower end of the tube is being sealed and separated. In this way, the inclusion of the closure strips requires very little modification in the bag making apparatus. As an alternative to join the closure strips 572 to the bag film 254 as it unwinds inside the bag making apparatus, the roller 570 can be provided with the closing strips previously applied at appropriate intervals. Referring also to Figure 49A, the closure strip is bent in one example on itself as attached to the bag film 254, with the bands of hooks and rings engaged to hold the closure in its folded condition. One side of the closure strip is welded to the bag film in the areas 574, while the other side of the closure strip is left unattached until it is welded to an opposite surface of the bag film below the tube. of filling (for example, by means of the sealing bars 264). In this way, the closure strip 572 is placed at one end of the final bag, with its fold being directed either outward or inward, as desired. The sides of the bag can be joined to form the edge of the adjacent end of the bag, to form an additional end seal. If it is necessary to hold the closure strip in its folded condition as the bag film is advanced over the filling tube, the ends of the closure strip can be adhered. A configuration of an alternative closure strip is shown in Figure 49B. In this case, the sealing strip 572 'is supplied as two separate fastening strips - a ring strip 576 and a hook strip 578 - which mesh with one another along their length, the two fastening strips being permanently attached to the bag film 254 along the weld lines 574, on either side of a tear line 580 (e.g., a row of perforations or a continuous incision) in the bag film 254 The closure strip 572 'can be placed in the final bag at any point along the length of the bag, which is averaged: break the tear line 580 and separate the ring and hook bands from the fastening straps 576 and 578. The bag is reclosed by pressing the hook and eye straps together again. With reference to Figures 50A and 50B, closure strips 582 and 584 with removable seals 586 which act as secondary closure elements are conveniently provided. The release adhesives are well known in the industry, and provide an impermeable and hermetic seal that is relatively simple to disturb without tearing the underlying substrate. In some cases, seal 586 is made of a material that is effectively non-adhesive when opening is started. In other cases, seal 586 is made of a material that retains its tackiness so as to continue to provide some sealing when the bag is closed again. In the closing strip ^ 62 (Figure 50A) the peelable seal 586 is located inward of the hook and primary ring fastener 588, so as to protect the rings and the contaminating fasteners from the contents of the bag. In the closure strip 582 '(Figure 50B ^, the peel-off seal 586 is located outward of the hook-and-primary-ring fastener 588 and must be opened to gain access to the primary closure.The peel-off seal can be formed by the application of A removable adhesive, such as a pressure-sensitive adhesive, to the front face of the closure strip In some cases, the adhesive is applied in two discrete regions on the face of the strip, so that the adhesive is bonded to the adhesive. The two regions to form the seal These removable seals can provide a longer shelf life (ie, longer shelf life after the bag has been initially opened) for the contents of the bags.

With reference to Figure 51, a closure strip 590 has counterpart bands of hook-shaped fastener elements 592. In a band, extending from a side 594 of the closure strip, the fastener elements face all the way to the left , while from the other side 596 of the closing strip, the fastening elements face all to the right. As the bands of the fastener elements 592 are pressed together additionally from the position shown, the tips of the hook-shaped fastener elements intertwine to engage the two bands of elements. When pulled to separate, the flexible tips extend to evacuate the tips of the other band of elements and then return to their original hook shape. This is an example of what is known in the fastener industry as "self-gearing" fasteners - those in which the gear fastener elements are of a similar structure. Other forms of self-engaging fastener elements include mushrooms, for example, such as the "DUAL-LOCK" fastener product marketed by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, Inc. With the self-engaging hook fastener, we prefer to mold the hooks to have a greater thickness "th" than the separation "sr" between the adjacent rows of elements (as shown in Figure 52), so that the bands can not be separated by moving one side of the closure strip laterally through the rows of fastener elements on the other side of the closure strip. The CFM-15 and CFM-29 hook shapes marketed by Velero USA in Manchester, New Hampshire, can be useful for self-engaging fasteners. The hook-shaped fastener elements should be separated along their rows so as to provide sufficient clearance for the tips of a counterpart row of hooks, to extend between the adjacent hooks of the row. The optimum spacing will depend on the hook shape selected and the strength of the desired coupling. With the counterpart arrangements of mushroom-type fastener elements, the density of the fungus of the opposing arrangements should be different to avoid "dead front" fungi (ie, forcing fungus heads to deform, rather than to cause their stems to bend). An arrangement can have, for example, a density of the fastener element in the order of approximately 50 to 200 fastener elements per square inch (8 to 31 per square centimeter), while the density of the fastener elements in the other arrangement is of the order from approximately 500 to 2000 (80 to 310 per square centimeter). The optimal density matches will depend on the desired coupling and unloading loads, among other things. The self-engaging bands of the fastener elements can be replaced by the eyelet and hook bands of any of the fastener strips described above, to form self-gears for different applications. Preferably, whether the hook and eye straps or the self-engaging straps are used, the counterpart straps of the closure are conveniently configured to engage with a very low engagement force. We measure the gearing force by measuring the facial load that is required between the counterpart halves of a one-inch length of the closure strip, to engage the closure. The detachment detachment force was measured as the load that is required to detach that fastener strip one inch (25 millimeters). The closure can provide a conveniently low coupling force of, for example, less than about one pound over one linear inch (0.18 Newtons over a linear millimeter), and a peel release force of less than about two pounds per linear inch ( 0.35 Newtons per linear millimeter). You can use materials that are polyethylene, such as polypropylene, polyester, nylon, and other thermoplastics and their copolymers. For example, laminated coextruded pouch films may have internal surfaces of a compatible material by welding with the material of the closure base, and an external surface of a material that is selected by other properties, such as durability or impermeability. As is apparent from the embodiments described above, these closure strips are useful in many packaging applications, to provide a removable fastener that engages in a simple manner that does not require perfect alignment during closure. The closures are useful for packaging food products, such as cookies, candy bars, and flat products, and can be located at a sealed end or along a longitudinal seam of the package. By "bag", we want to include all packages with flexible sides, which include but are not limited to, pouches that can be stopped and flexible cartons. It will be understood that other embodiments fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An elongated closure strip (100, 406, 504) comprising: a sheet-shaped resin substrate (102) having a front face and a back face; an array of integrally molded ring engaging fasteners extending from the front face of the substrate and forming a discrete band (106, 526) of fastener elements extending longitudinally along the length of the fastener. length of the closing strip; a ring strip carried on the front face of the substrate and forming a discrete band (104, 524) of meshing rings extending along the length of the closure strip and separated from the band of the fasteners; the eyelet strip that is configured to engage by fastener arrangement when the substrate is folded along the bending line (C, 418) that extends between the eyelet strip and the fastener arrangement.

The closure strip of claim 1, wherein the substrate has attachment regions (136) extending along its length to permanently attach the closure strip through the opening of the bag; the junction regions being devoid of fasteners and rings.

3. The closure strip of claim 2, wherein the joining regions are placed on the front face of the substrate.

4. The closure strip of claim 2, wherein the joining regions are placed on the rear face of the substrate.

The closure strip of claim 2, wherein the joining regions are covered with a layer of adhesive to permanently bond the closure strip through the opening of the bag.

The closure strip of claim 2, wherein the joining regions comprise the exposed resin of the substrate, for permanently welding the closure strip to opposite sides of a bag that is formed of a compatible material.

The closure strip of claim 1, wherein the substrate defines at least one frangible region extending longitudinally along the length of the closure strip between the band of rings and the band of fasteners, to tear the substrate between the rings and fastener elements, to open an associated bag.

8. The closure strip of claim 7, wherein the brittle region comprises at least one longitudinal groove (134, 420, 514) extending along the substrate.

The closure strip of claim 8, wherein the frangible region comprises a pair of spaced longitudinal grooves (134), and a longitudinal rib (132) that is integrally molded with, and extending from the substrate between the pair of slots.

The closure strip of claim 8, wherein the groove is defined on the front face of the substrate.

The closure strip of claim 8, characterized in that it further comprises a longitudinal rib (416) that is integrally molded with, and extending from the substrate adjacent the groove (420), on one side of the groove opposite the bending line (418), to resist the propagation of a tear of the groove away from the bending line.

The closure strip of claim 7, wherein the brittle region comprising a continuous filament (320) longitudinally incrusted which is adapted to tear off from the closure strip, to tear the substrate along the brittle region.

The closure strip of claim 12, wherein the filament is completely enclosed within the longitudinal rib (132) that is integrally molded with, and extending from the substrate between the band of rings (104) and the band of fastener elements (106).

The closure strip of claim 13, wherein the longitudinal rib enclosing the filament is placed on the rear face of the substrate.

15. The closure strip of claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a longitudinal rib (132, 416) that is integrally molded with and extending from the front face of the substrate between the band of rings (104) and the fasteners (106).

16. The closure strip of claim 15, wherein the longitudinal rib moves from the bend line (418).

17. The closure strip of claim 1, wherein the eyelet strip comprises a non-woven web of fibers.

18. The closure strip of claim 17, wherein the mesh has a basis weight of less than about 4 ounces per square yard (0.14 kilograms per square meter).

19. The closure strip of claim 18, wherein the mesh has a basis weight of less than about 2 ounces per square yard (0.07 kilograms per square meter).

20. The closure strip of claim 17, wherein the non-woven mesh comprises a stitched mesh in a stretched condition.

The fastener strip of claim 1, wherein the eyelet strip (104) has a width that is defined between two longitudinal edges thereof, the fibers of the eyelet strip being fixed to the substrate across that width .

22. The closure strip of claim 21, wherein the fibers of the eyelet strip are encapsulated by the resin of the substrate through that width.

23. The closure strip of claim 1, wherein the eyelet strip has a fiber density, which is substantially constant across its width, and wherein the eyelet strip comprises discrete regions that are substantially more encapsulated by the resin that the other regions of it (see Figures IA to 1G).

24. The closure strip of claim 23, wherein the discrete regions are longitudinally spaced along the eyelet strip (Figures IC, IE, 1F and 1G).

25. The closure strip of claim 23, wherein the discrete regions extend longitudinally along the eyelet strip and are spread wide (Figures IA, IB, ID, IE, and 1F).

26. The closure strip of claim 23, wherein the discrete regions are placed in a checkerboard pattern (Figures IE, 1F and 1G).

27. The closure strip of claim 1, wherein the eyelet strip has two longitudinal edge regions and a central region between the edge regions, the shore regions being fixed to a substrate and the center region being substantially free of substrate (Figures IA and IB).

28. The closure strip of claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises, between the substrate and the eyelet strip, a barrier layer (e.g., 178) of a material different from the substrate (Figures 7 and 8).

29. The closure strip of claim 28, wherein the barrier layer comprises paper.

30. The closure strip of claim 28, wherein the barrier layer comprises polymer resin.

31. The closure strip of claim 1, wherein the substrate is formed of a polyethylene or a material from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyester, nylon, copolymers of any of the foregoing, and compatible blends that include when less .one of the above.

32. The closure strip of claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises an adhesive strip that is worn on the front face of the substrate between the band of fasteners and the band of rings (at 135), the adhesive strip having an exposed surface which is configured to contact the front face of the closure strip when the closure strip is bent to engage the rings with the fastener elements, to retain the closure strip in a bent condition.

33. The closure strip of claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: a first adhesive strip (135) on the front face of the substrate on one side of the fold line; and a second adhesive strip (135) carried on the front face of the substrate on the other side of the fold line; the first and second adhesive tapes having exposed surfaces that are configured to contact each other when the closure strip is bent to engage the rings with the fastener elements, to retain the closure strip in a folded state (see page, line by page, line).

34. The closure strip of claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a strip of removable adhesive that is worn on the front face of the substrate, to provide a peelable seal through the opening of an associated bag.

35. The closure strip of claim 34, wherein the strip of release adhesive is placed between a longitudinal edge of the closure strip and the two bands of fasteners and rings.

36. The closure strip of claim 34, wherein the strip of removable adhesive is placed between the bands of fasteners and rings.

37. The closure strip of claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a paper layer (178) permanently adhered to the substrate.

38. The closure strip of claim 37, wherein the paper layer is worn on the front face of the substrate, along the longitudinal edge region of the substrate.

39. The closure strip of claim 37, wherein the substrate has a back face opposite the front face, the paper being carried on the back face.

40. The closure strip of claim 37, wherein the paper layer is placed between a central region of the eyelet strip and the substrate.

41. The closure strip of claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: a second array of fastener elements that can be engaged by rings (430) that are integrally molded with, and extending from the rear face of the substrate and forming a second band of fastener elements extending longitudinally along the length of the closure strip, to hang an associated package for deployment (see Figure 31).

42. The closure strip of claim 41, characterized in that it further comprises a second ring strip (432) on the rear face of the substrate and forming a second discrete band of separate engageable rings of the second band of fasteners, for engaging the second band of fasteners from another package.

43. The closure strip of claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a second ring strip (432) which is worn on the rear face of the substrate and which forms a second discrete band of meshing rings extending along the length of the substrate. of the length of the closing strip, to hang an associated package for its deployment.

44. The closure strip of claim 1, wherein the substrate further defines multiple longitudinal rows of hump-shaped projections (528) extending from its front face between the fold line and each of the ring and ring bands. the fastener elements.

45. A resealable bag (138, 400, 442, 458, 500) comprising: a bag body (140) having two opposite side walls joined along three edges, to form between them a pouch having a open end; and a closure strip (100, 406, 444, 456, 504) permanently attached to the two side walls of the body of the bag, along the open end, the closure strip comprising: a resin substrate in the form of sheet (102) having a front face and a back face; an array of ring engagable fastener elements that are integrally molded with, and extending from the front face of the substrate and forming a discrete band (106, 526) of fastener elements extending longitudinally along the length of the fastener. the length of the closing strip; and a ring strip carried on the front face of the substrate and forming a discrete band (104, 524) of engageable rings extending along the length of the closure strip and separated from the band of fastener elements; the eyelet strip that is configured to engage by arranging fastener elements to removably hold the pouch in a closed condition.

46. The bag of claim 45, wherein the substrate is continuous and solid between the band of rings and the band of fastener elements and forms a seal to retain the bag in a sealed condition, before opening the bag.

47. The bag of claim 45, wherein the substrate of the closure strip is fixed permanently to the side walls of the body of the bag, with adhesive.

48. The bag of claim 45, wherein the substrate of the closure strip is welded to the side walls of the body of the bag.

49. The bag of claim 48, wherein the substrate of the closure strip and the side walls of the body of the bag are formed of the same resin, such as a polyethylene or a material that is selected from the group consisting of of polypropylene, polyester, nylon and compatible copolymers and blends that include at least one of these resins.

50. The bag of claim 45, wherein the substrate of the closure strip defines at least one frangible region extending longitudinally along the length of the closure strip between the band of rings and the band of elements. fasteners, for tearing the substrate between the rings and the fastener elements to open the bag.

51. The bag of claim 50, wherein the frangible region comprises at least one longitudinal slot (134, 420, 514) extending along the substrate.

52. The bag of claim 51, wherein the frangible region comprises a pair of separate, longitudinal grooves (134), and a longitudinal rib (132) that is intely molded with, and extending from the substrate between. pair of slots.

53. The pouch of claim 50, wherein the brittle region comprises a longitudinally continuous, embedded filament (320) that is adapted to tear from the closure strip to tear the substrate along the brittle region.

54. The bag of claim 53, wherein the filament enclosed within a longitudinal rib (132) extends from the rear face of the substrate of the closure strip and is placed inside the bag.

55. The bag of claim 53, wherein the filament (320) has an end attached to a pull tab (354) extending from one edge of the bag (Figures 23 and 24).

56. The bag of claim 53, wherein the bag defines a split (448, 560a) through a bank region (450, 558) of the bag but does not extend within the inner part of the bag, defining cracking a pullable pull tab within the edge region and containing one end of the filament (320, 554) (Figures 33 and 34).

57. The bag of claim 56, wherein the pull tab is defined between a pair of cracks (560a, 560b) on either side of the filament (554) and extending through an adjacent edge (562). of the bag (Figure 47).

58. The bag of claim 45, wherein the eyelet strip of the closure strip comprises a nonwoven web of fibers having a basis weight of less than about 4 ounces per square yard (0.14 kilos per square meter).

59. The bag of claim 45, wherein the closure strip further comprises a strip of release adhesive (135, 586) which is worn on the front face of the substrate to provide a removable seal through the opening of the bag.

60. The bag of claim 59, wherein the peelable seal is placed into the ring and fastener bands.

61. The bag of claim 59, wherein the peelable seal (586) is positioned outwardly from the bands of fasteners and fasteners.

62. The bag of claim 45, wherein the back face of the closure strip forms an external surface of the bag, the bands of hoops and fastener elements being carried on an inner surface of the bag.

63. The bag (428) of claim 62, wherein the closure strip further comprises: a second array of fastener elements (430) that can be engaged by integrally molded rings and extending from the rear face of the substrate and forming a second band of fastener elements extending longitudinally along the outer surface of the bag, to hang the bag for deployment.

64. The bag of claim 63, wherein the closure strip further comprises a second ring strip (432) which is worn on the rear face of the substrate and which forms a discrete band of interlocking rings extending along the length of the substrate. the outer surface of the bag, to hang the bag for deployment.

65. The bag of claim 45, wherein the front face of the closure strip forms an outer surface of the bag, the bands of hoops and fastener elements being carried on that outer surface of the bag.

66. The bag of claim 65, wherein the bands of both rings and fastener elements are placed on a front side of the bag, so that the fastener elements engage the rings when an adjacent edge of the bag is folded (see Figures 34A to 34C).

67. The bag of claim 66, wherein the substrate of the closure strip defines a brittle region between the bands of fasteners and fastener elements, the fragile region running along one side of the bag and configured to tear for open the bag.

68. The bag of claim 67, wherein the fragile region (514) is configured to tear by applying a transverse tension load across the brittle region (see Figure 40).

69. The bag of claim 68, wherein the fragile region of the substrate is weaker with respect to a transverse tension load than the side walls of the bag and the junction between the side walls of the bag and the closure of the bag. .

70. The bag of claim 68, wherein the side wall forming the front side of the bag has an exposed tongue (532, 536) for holding and pulling the front side of the bag, to tear the fragile region of the strip closing (Figures 45 and 46).

71. The bag of claim 70, wherein the tab (532) extends through the front side of the bag.

72. The bag of claim 65, wherein the bands of rings (104) and fastener elements (106) are placed on opposite sides of a bag, so that the fastener elements engage the rings when an adjacent edge of the bag Bag, which is formed by a fold on the closure strip, is doubled twice (see Figures 35A to 35D).

73. The bag of claim 72, wherein, with the closure strip bent twice, the adjacent layers of the substrate together form a barrier to the fluids.

74. The bag of claim 45, wherein the side walls of the bag are attached to the closure strip along the back face of the closure strip.

75. The bag of claim 74, wherein one edge of the bag is formed by a fold along the substrate of the closure strip between the bands of fasteners and fasteners.

76. The bag of claim 68, wherein the substrate forms a fold between the bands of fasteners and rings, with the fold of the substrate directed toward the inside of the bag (see Figures 36 and 50B).

77. The bag of claim 76, wherein the substrate is solid and continuous between the side walls of the bag, to form a seal through the opening of the bag until the bag is initially opened.

78. The bag of claim 68, wherein the side walls are attached outwardly from the longitudinal edges of the closure strip., to form a seal until the bag is initially opened (Figure 36).

79. The bag of claim 45, wherein at least one longitudinal edge of the closure strip is placed inside the bag and disengaged at the sides of the bag, except at the edges of the bag (see Figures 2A and 31). ).

80. The bag of claim 45, wherein the substrate of the closure strip carries printed indications thereon (Figure 27).

81. The bag of claim 45, wherein the substrate of the closure strip defines a hole (412) that forms a clamped handle for loading the bag.

82. A product in the form of a continuous sheet (480, 482) useful for forming bags, the product comprising: a film in the form of a continuous sheet; and a length of closure strip (318, 444) permanently attached to the film, the closure strip comprising: a sheet-shaped resin substrate (102) having an exposed front face; a ring strip carried on the front face of the substrate and comprising a discrete band (104, 524) of engagable rings with hooks extending along the length of the closure strip; and an array of fastener elements (106, 526) that can be engaged by rings, molded with the resin on the front face of the substrate and forming a discrete band of fastener elements extending longitudinally along the length of the fastener. the closing strip and separated from the band of rings.

83. The sheet-shaped product of claim 82, wherein the closure strip is continuous and extends along the centerline of the film (Figure 38A).

84. The sheet-shaped product of claim 82, wherein the closure strip is continuous and extends along one edge of the film (Figure 38B).

85. The sheet-shaped product of claim 82, wherein the closure strip extends transversely through the film (Figure 48).

86. A product in the form of a continuous sheet useful for forming bags, the product comprising: a film in the form of a continuous sheet; and multiple lengths of closure strips (572) that extend transverse through the film at separate intervals and permanently attached to the film, each section of closure strip comprising two overlapping substrates, each substrate adhering in a manner separated to the bag film on opposite sides of an associated fragile region of the film; a ring strip carried on the front face of the first substrate (578) and comprising a discrete band (104) of meshing rings extending along the length of the closure strip; and an array of fastener elements (106) engageable by rings extending from the second substrate (578) and forming a discrete band of fastener elements extending longitudinally along the length of the closure; the first and second overlapping substrates as bonded to the film, so that the bands of fasteners and fastener elements overlap for coupling (Figures 48 and 49).

87. The web product of claim 86, wherein the fastener elements are integrally molded with the resin on the front face of the second substrate.

88. A method for manufacturing a closure strip, the method comprising: molding a substrate (102) in the form of a continuous sheet, having a band of fastener elements (106, 526) that is molded integrally with, and that extends from a front face of the substrate; and joining a continuous strip of ring material (160) to the resin forming the front face of the substrate, to form a discrete ring band (104, 524) separate from the band of fasteners.

89. The method of claim 88, wherein the step for molding includes forming the substrate to have a longitudinal brittle section that is configured to be placed between the band of rings and the band of fasteners.

90. The method of claim 89, wherein the fragile section of the substrate defines at least one slot (134, 420, 514) extending longitudinally therein, the molding step including the formation of the slot in the substrate as the substrate is formed.

91. The method of claim 90, wherein the groove is formed in the front face of the substrate.

92. The method of claim 90, wherein the brittle section defines a pair of slots (134) extending longitudinally in the substrate.

93. The method of claim 92, wherein the molding step includes the simultaneous formation of a longitudinal rib (132) extending from the substrate between the slots.

94. The method of claim 88, wherein the molding step includes the simultaneous formation of a longitudinal rib (132, 416) extending from the substrate, the rib being configured to be placed between the bands of fasteners and rings.

95. The method of claim 94, wherein the rib (416) is molded to be close to one of the other bands of fasteners and rings.

96. The method of claim 88, wherein the molding step includes the simultaneous incrustation of a filament (320) longitudinally continuous in the resin of the substrate.

97. The method of claim 96, wherein the filament is completely enclosed by the resin of a rib (132) extending from one side of the substrate.

98. The method of claim 88, wherein the ring material strip comprises a non-woven mesh of interlaced fibers forming the rings and having a basis weight of less than about 4 ounces per square yard (0.14 kilograms per square meter) ).

99. The method of claim 88, wherein the step to join comprises encapsulating the fibers of the eyelet material strip in the resin of the substrate across the width of the eyelet material strip (see Figures 9, 9A).

100. The method of claim 88, wherein the strip of hoop material has a fiber density, which is substantially constant across its width, and wherein the step to join comprises the permanent adhesion of discrete regions of fiber. the strip of hoop material to the substrate, while leaving other regions of the hoop strip in a less adhesive condition (see Figures IA to 1G).

101. The method of claim 88, wherein the strip of eyelet material is permanently attached to the substrate, after the substrate is molded (see 160 'Figures 7 and 11).

102. The method of claim 101, wherein the strip of eyelet material is attached to the substrate by heating the front face of the substrate and then pressing the eyelet material against the front face of the substrate with the front face of the eye. substrate at an elevated temperature.

103. The method of claim 88, wherein the strip of eyelet material is permanently attached to the substrate, as the substrate is molded (see 160, Figures 7 and 11).

104. The method of claim 103, wherein the molding and joining steps include: continuously feeding the strip of eyelet material (160) through a clamp (152) that is defined between a rotating casting roll ( 154) and a pressure roller (156), the rotating molding roller defining a multiplicity of cavities around its periphery, for molding the fastener elements, while continuously introducing the molten resin to the molding roller under conditions which cause the resin fill the cavities and form the substrate (102), so that the pressure in the clamp adheres the strip of eyelet material to the resin of the substrate (see Figure 7).

105. The method of claim 104, wherein the shaping roll has two extender rims forming a pair of slots (134) in the substrate (see Figure 8).

106. The method of claim 105, wherein the molding step includes the simultaneous formation of a longitudinal rib (132) extending from the substrate between the pair of slots, the shaping roll defining, between its two ridges, a channel to form the longitudinal rib.

107. The method of claim 103, wherein the molding and joining steps include: continuously feeding the strip of loop material (160) through an aperture (190) that is defined between a rotating shaping roll ( 160) and a stationary extrusion head (188), the rotary shaping roller defining a multiplicity of cavities around its periphery for molding the fastening elements, while continuously introducing the molten resin to the opening under conditions which cause the resin to fill the cavities and form the substrate (102) and that it permanently adhere to the strip of eyelet material (see Figure 11).

108. The method of claim 107, characterized in that it also comprises, while the strip of loop material is fed continuously through the opening, the continuous feeding of a strip of preformed material (178) through the opening. between the strip of eyelet material (160) and the extrusion head (188), so that the preformed material inhibits the encapsulation of the fibers of the eyelet material strip in previously determined regions and the preformed material is incorporated within the closing strip.

109. The method of claim 108, wherein the preformed material is selected from the group consisting of paper, cloth and plastic film.

110. The method of claim 108, wherein the preformed material defines perforations extending through its thickness.

111. The method of claim 103, wherein the molding and joining steps include: continuously feeding the eyelet material strip through a clamp that is defined adjacent the periphery of a rotating casting roller, the roller moulder comprising a boundary ring (180) having a turned outer edge and being configured to hold a predetermined region of the ring material strip against the resin under pressure in the opening (see Figures 9 and 10).

112. The method of claim 111, wherein the outer edge of the delimiting ring comprises protrusions (184) around its periphery, the protuberances corresponding with discrete regions of relatively greater encapsulation of the ring material strip.

113. The method of claim 111, wherein the shaping roll comprises multiple staking rings that are configured to produce an adhesion pattern previously determined through the strip of eyelet material (see Figure 9A).

114. A method for manufacturing resealable bags, the method comprising: providing a continuous length of bag wall material (194, 254) in sheet form; providing a continuous closure strip (100, 266, 318) comprising: a sheet-shaped resin substrate (102) having a front face; a ring strip which is worn on the front face of the substrate and which forms a discrete band (104, 524) of engageable rings along the length of the closure strip; and an array of interlocking fastener elements with rings that are integrally molded with the front face of the substrate and forming a discrete band (106, 526) of fastener elements that extend longitudinally along the length of the strip closing and separated from the ring band; permanently joining the closure strip along the wall material of the sheet-shaped bag to form a continuous stretch of preformed bag material; and forming individual bags from the preformed bag material.

115. The method of claim 111, wherein the step for joining produces a preform tube of the bag material, and wherein the steps for joining and forming are performed simultaneously in a vertical form and filling process, containing the individual bags a predetermined amount of the material to be stored in the bag (see Figure 15).

116. The method of claim 115, wherein the closure strip is attached to the longitudinal edges of the sheet-shaped plastic to form a fin seal of the preform tube.

117. The method of claim 116, wherein the closure strip is bent to form a fold extending outward, away from the preform tube (see Figure 16).

118. The method of claim 117, wherein the bend defines a distant edge of the fin seal.

119. The method of claim 115, wherein the closure strip is bent to form a fold extending inward toward the preform tube (see Figure 16A).

120. The method of claim 114, wherein the step for joining produces a preform tube of the bag material, and wherein the steps for joining and forming are performed simultaneously in a horizontal form and filling process, with the individual bags that form around the associated packages of material (see Figures 17, 18).

121. The method of claim 120, wherein the longitudinal edges of the side wall material of the bag are joined together to form a fin seal with the closure strip folded longitudinally and positioned within the fin seal (Figure 17). .

122. The method of claim 120, wherein the longitudinal edges of the side wall material of the bag are joined together to form a fin seal with the closure strip folded longitudinally about and attached to the longitudinal edges of the wall material. side of the bag (Figure 18).

123. The method of claim 114, wherein the step to join includes bending the closure strip along its length, to engage the bands of fasteners and fasteners in a mating area, holding the fasteners and fasteners in place. fundamental regions of the substrate in separate relationship.

124. The method of claim 123, wherein the step to join further includes welding the side wall material of the bag to the rear face of the substrate, the coupling zone providing a heat barrier to inhibit permanent welding of the substrate in its bent condition (see Figure 17A).

125. The method of claim 114, wherein the step to form includes folding the preformed bag material along its center line, and then forming separate transverse seals along the preformed bag material at intervals of the length of the bag. bag to form a chain of bags with open ends (see Figure 20).

126. The method of claim 125, wherein the closure strip is joined along the side wall material of the bag between the longitudinal edges of the material, the preformed bag material being folded subsequently into the closure strip for engage the bands of rings and fastener elements (see Figures 26 and 20).

127. The method of claim 125, wherein the step to join comprises individually folding the side wall material of the bag (254) and the closure strip (318).; and then joining the folded wall material and the closure strip along its longitudinal edges to form a continuous tube of preformed bag material (see Figure 29).

128. The method of claim 127, wherein the step to form comprises the creation of transverse seals through the tube of the preformed pouch material, to form a series of discrete, empty pouches.

129. The method of claim 114, wherein the side wall material of the bag is provided as two separate material sheets (368, 370), the step of joining the joint of the closure strip (372) comprising a longitudinal edge of each sheet, so that the preformed bag material comprises two sheets of material joined in the closure strip, the step to form individual bags comprising the formation of transverse seals (384) through the preformed bag material and join the other longitudinal edges of the material to form a series of sealed pouches (see Figure 26).

130. The method of claim 114, wherein the closure strip contains an embedded pull cord (320), including the step for forming the formation of a graspable pull tab (354) extending from one edge of each bag. , containing the tongue to pull one end of the pull cord (see Figures 22-24, 47).

131. The method of claim 130, wherein the clamped pull tab is formed by slitting each bag in a side seal area (see Figure 47).

132. The method of claim 131, wherein the crack cuts through the pull cord but does not extend into the inside of the bag.

133. The method of claim 131, wherein the split forms two cracks (560a, 560b) extending from an adjacent edge of the bag to the filament.

134. A method for manufacturing resealable bags in a vertical form and filling process, the method comprising: unrolling a continuous stretch of the sheet film bag (254) and directing the unrolled film on a forming head, advancing the bag film a stretch of bag between breaks; during each pause, join a length of closure strip through the unrolled pouch film upstream of the forming head, each section of closure strip comprising: a sheet-shaped resin substrate (102) having a front face; a ring strip carried on the front face of the substrate and forming a discrete band (104, 524) of meshing rings along the length of the closure strip; and an arrangement of fastener elements that can be engaged by rings molded integrally with the front face of the substrate and forming a discrete band (106, 526) of fastener elements that extends longitudinally along the length of the fastener strip and separated from the ring band; and forming individual bags from the bag film, each bag having an associated length of closure strip (see Figure 48).

135. A method for forming a disposable flexible packaging bag or film package (234) having a previously determined thermoplastic composition surface, the method comprising: providing intergrandable closure strip portions which are either separate strips (576, 578) or strip portions of a common member (100), at least one first of the closure strip portions providing an array (106) of discrete fastener elements such as hook elements having hook or loop elements. fungus shaped hook, the fastening elements having stems that are molded integrally with, and extending from a thermoplastic backing substrate, the other of the portions of the strip providing an arrangement (104) of hookable elements by hook such as rings or fibers, or self-engaging elements with the fastener elements of the first strip portion, the elements of the strip portions that can be in forming a releasable closure, each of the strip portions having a backing surface (102) substantially comprised of the previously determined thermoplastic composition, from which the surface of the film is formed; and attaching the backing substrates (102) of the strip portions to the respective portions of the surface of the plastic film or sheet (254) by welding (see Figures 17A, 21, 18A, 50A, 50B and 37).

136. The method of claim 136, wherein, during welding, the fastener elements (104, 106) of the respective strip portions are interengaged and the backs (102) of the strip portions are joined simultaneously to the elements. respective portions of the sheet or film (254) by applying energy to the respective sheet or film portions, providing pockets of air insulation in the space created by the interengaged elements serving to limit heat transfer and unwanted adhesion or joining of the closure strip portions with each other (see, for example, Figure 17A).

137. A method for applying a resealable fastener to the sheet or film, the method comprising: providing intergrandable closure strip portions which are either separate strips (576, 578) or strip portions of a common member (100), at least one first of the closure strip portions providing an arrangement (106) of discrete fastener elements such as hook elements having mushroom hook or hook elements, the fastener elements having stems that are integrally molded with, and extending from a thermoplastic backing substrate (102), the other portion of the strip providing an array (104) of hookable elements such as rings or fibers, or self-engaging elements with the fastener elements of the first strip portion, the elements of the strip portions that can form a release seal, and joining the backing substrate (102) of the strip portions to the respective conditions of the surface of the film or sheet with the application of energy, such as heat, acoustic or radiofrequency energy, to produce, for example, bonding by welding or adhesive, wherein, during joining the fasteners of the portions of respective strip are interengaged and the backing substrates of the strip portions are attached simultaneously to the respective portions of the sheet or film (254) with the application of energy to the respective sheet or film portions, providing insulation pockets of air in the space created by the interengaged elements (104, 106) that serve to limit heat transfer and the unwanted adhesion or binding of the strip strip portions with each other (see, for example, FIG. 17A).

138. A method for applying a resealable fastener to the sheet or film, the method comprising: providing intergrandable fastener strip portions that are either separate strips (576, 578) or strip portions of a common member (100), at least one first of the closure strip portions providing an array (106) of discrete fastener elements such as hook elements having mushroom-shaped hook-and-hook elements, the fastening elements having stems that are integrally molded with, and extending from a thermoplastic backing substrate (102), the other portion of the strip providing an array (104) of hookable elements such as rings or fibers, or self-engaging elements with the fastener elements of the first portion of strip, the elements of the strip portions that can form a releasable closure, and joining the backing substrate (102) of the strip portions to the po respective portions of the surface of the film or sheet (254) with the application of energy, such as heat, acoustic or radio frequency energy, to produce, for example, solder or adhesive bonding, where, during bonding the fastener elements of the respective strip portions are interengaged and the backing substrates of the strip portions are simultaneously joined to the respective portions of the sheet or film with the application of energy to the respective sheet or film portions., and the cooperating parts of the releasable closure of material that is incompatible or of significantly different melting temperature being such that, under the joining conditions, the interengaged elements (104, 106) do not tend to adhere to one another or become deformed in a harmful way

139. The method of any of claims 136 to 139, wherein the ring or fiber bases of the second strip portion are encapsulated by, and secured by the thermoplastic resin of the backing substrate (102) of the strip portion. of respective closure, the rings or fibers of resin being comprised, such as polyester, which is not compatible with, or which has a higher melting temperature than the resin, such as the polyolefin, of the respective backing substrate, and / or of the components of the first portion of opposite strip, so that, under the conditions of union, the inequality of the material of the rings or fibers serves to avoid the harmful change to the rings or fibers or the adhesion or harmful union of the rings or fibers to the first strip portion, preferably, the mass of the hook elements (106) of the first portion being substantially greater than that of the ring elements (104), the thermal sa of the hook elements enough to avoid undue distortion of the hooks during the action to join.

140. The method of any of claims 136 to 140, characterized in that it is carried out during the vertical form and packing of the filling.

141. The method of any of claims 136 to 140, characterized in that it is carried out during the horizontal form and packing of the filling.

142. The method of any of claims 136 to 140, characterized in that it is carried out during the manufacture of the pouch.