MULTI-WALL BAG THAT HAS A COMBINATION
OF SLIDING ZIPPER AND FIN, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS
Background of the Invention 1. Field of the Invention The invention generally refers to the packaging industry. In more specific aspects, the invention relates to multiple-walled gaskets and methods for forming multiple-walled gaskets that have zippers associated with the gasket. 2. Description of the Related Technique By packing more and more products for the consumer, the need for improved packaging for final products for the consumer continues to grow. The packaging for final products not only have to keep the products fresh, the product packaging needs to protect the environment from the contents of the product and protect the contents of the product from the environment. The packaging must also be strong enough to maintain materials of variable weights, without being damaged, to provide packaging for a vast array of products for the consumer. Another important aspect includes the resistance to alterations to prevent the probability of altering the contents inside the bags. To increase access to contents within a bag, others have developed many types of bags with many types of zippers. Examples of user-friendly bags can be found in US Patent 6,376,035 entitled "Zipper Fins For Plastic Bags" by Dobreski et al and US Patent 5,919,535 entitled "Fins For Plastic Bags" by Dobreski et al. These plastic bags are provided with a zipper. or a slider, a rack rail, and one or more fin members The consumer can initially open the zippered bag, use a portion of the product, and then easily reseal the bag until the product is needed again. This zipper combination is easily operated and can withstand greater forces applied to it than zippers previously used in plastic bags Applicants have recognized that these zipper combinations described in Dobreski are limited to plastic bags. provide adequate packaging for some products, they simply are not durable enough to pro provide protection for many types of products. Altering goods for the consumer has also become a problem over the years. Packaging producers have developed better mechanisms to allow consumers to determine if the product inside the package could have been subjected to some form of alteration or unwanted opening prior to the acquisition by the customer. Examples of bags with an obvious alteration characteristic can be found in US Pat. No. 6,286,999 by Catchman entitled "Tamper-Evident Reclosable Bag" and US Pat. No. 6,439,770 by Catchman entitled "Reclosable Bags Having A Tamper-Evident Retaining Member Extending Through A Slider". These patents describe many types of devices that can be installed together with the zipper rack rail to determine if alterations have occurred. Examples include a removable cardboard, paper, or plastic member covering or adjacent to a zipper slider in the closed position and attached to the bag in some manner. If the zipper moves, the removable member will show signs of tampering. Applicants have recognized that the alteration characteristics evident in Catchman's patents require the use of some additional element that needs to be damaged to show signs of tampering. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing, one embodiment of the present invention provides sales of packaging for multi-walled end products that can be filled from the bottom and includes a bag seal area with a slideable slide assembly. In addition to the packaging for final products, the present invention also advantageously provides methods for forming such bags. An embodiment of the present invention also provides a multi-walled bag having a tubular shape having a characteristic of obvious alterations that is integral with the bag. Further embodiments of the present invention advantageously provide user-friendly bags capable of maintaining products of variable weights, which are strong and durable, which provide easy access to the products within the bags for consumers, and which have an alert mechanism reliable antialterations. More particularly, a multi-walled bag according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an inner tube, an outer tube, a bag seal area, a fin member, a rack rail, and a rack block. . The inner tube preferably has at least one layer of a polymeric material. The inner tube includes an inner front wall region and an inner rear wall region positioned to face opposite the inner front wall region. The outer tube preferably has at least one layer of paper material and is positioned to substantially surround the outer surfaces of the inner tube. The outer tube has an open end region, a closed end region, an outer front wall region, and an outer rear wall region. The closed end region is typically initially in an open position and adapted to receive filling material therethrough. The closed end region is then closed in a sealed manner to a closed position. The outer front wall region is positioned between the open end region and the closed end region. The outer back wall region is positioned between the open end region and the closed end region and is positioned to face opposite the outer front wall region. The bag seal area is formed adjacent the open end of the outer tube such that the at least one layer of the polymeric material of the inner surfaces of the inner front wall region of the inner tube makes contact by bumping and sealing the inner surfaces of the inner tube. the inner back wall region of the inner tube. The fin member is formed of a plastic material and connected to the bag seal area. The fin member extends substantially throughout the lateral extent of and along the outer front and rear wall regions. The fin mieiabro includes at least a pair of separate elongated fin straps positioned to look at each other. The rack rail is connected to each of the pair of elongated fin strips of the fin member. The rack rail includes a first rail strip and a second rail strip. The first and second rail strips are adapted to be positioned between an open position defined by the first and second rail strips being spaced apart to allow access to the interior portions of the bag and a closed position as a seal defined by the first and second rail strips. second rail strips making abutting contact with each other to prevent easy access to the interior portions of the bag. The rack block is slidably connected to the rack rail to allow the rack block to move slidably along the rack rail and move the first and second rack strips between the open position and the closed position. The fin member, the rack rail, and the zipper block together or in combination define a sliding rack and fin combination. The fin member of the rack and fin combination may also include a fin seal area associated with and positioned between the pair of fin strips and positioned adjacent the open end of the outer tube proximal to the rack rail. The fin seal zone may include an incision line positioned between the fin strips such that the initial opening of the slide rail allows the fin seal zone to easily separate along the incision line. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the multi-walled bag can be altered, for example, by forming a tube body having a plurality of layers of material or with the inner tube and the outer tube as described above. The tube body has at least one layer of polymeric material and at least one outer layer of paper material positioned to substantially enclose outer surfaces of the inner layer of the polymeric material. The tube body has a pair of opposite tube ends. An outer front wall region is positioned between the pair of opposite tube ends. An outer rear wall region is positioned to face opposite the outer front wall region and between the pair of opposed tube ends. In addition to the pouches that can be filled by the multi-walled bottom, the present invention advantageously provides methods for forming a multi-walled bag having a zipper associated therewith. One method of forming the multi-walled bag includes laminating a plurality of layers of material. The plurality of layers preferably includes at least one layer of polymeric material and at least one layer of paper material. Once the layers of material are laminated, the layers are formed in a tube body. At least one of the layers of polymeric material defines an inner surface of the tube body and at least one of the layers of paper material defines an outer surface of the tube body. The tube body has a front wall and a rear wall positioned to face opposite the front wall. An end portion of the inner surface of the front wall is sealed with an end portion facing opposite the inner surface of the rear wall to thereby define a bag seal area. A combination of a fin member, a rack rail connected to the fin member, and a rack block connected to the rack rail are connected to or attached to the bag seal area of the bag. The method for forming the multi-walled bag, for example, can be altered by supplying layers of materials that are already laminated according to the present invention. If the materials are already laminated, then the tube body can be formed without having to laminate the materials. It is envisioned that the multi-walled bags that can be filled by the phone by packing end products of the present invention can be used for any type of product that requires easy access to the inside contents and strength of a multi-walled bag. Such product uses include bags for various food items, pet food, charcoal, building materials, seeds, lawn and garden supplies, and other uses as is known to one skilled in the art and should be considered within the scope of this. invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Such that the manner in which the features and advantages of the invention, as well as others, become apparent, can be understood in greater detail, more particular description of the invention briefly summarized above may be taken by reference to its forms of embodiment that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification. It should be noted, however, that the drawings illustrate only several embodiments of the invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention such that it can include other effective embodiments as well. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a multi-walled bag with a bag seal area and a sliding rack combination according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a multi-walled bag taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a perspective view of a tube body having a plurality of reinforcements formed therein in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a fragmented perspective view of heat being applied to a tube body to form a bag seal zone of a multi-walled bag according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a tube body with a bag seal area being connected to a slide and flap combination according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a slider and flap combination connected to the bag seal zone of a multi-walled bag according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of a slide and flap combination connected to the bag seal zone of a multi-walled bag taken along line 7-7 of Figure 6 according to a shape of embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a perspective visa of a multi-walled bag being filled at the bottom with a filling material according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a multi-walled bag having a slide and flapper combination filled with a product and having a closed end region in the closed position according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 is a fragmented perspective view of a multi-walled bag having an open rack block and prior to breaking a seal within the bag seal area according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 is a fragmented perspective view of a multi-walled bag being opened along an incision line and the seal being open within the bag seal area according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 12 is a fragmented perspective view of a multi-walled bag having a rack block and a bag seal area in an open position according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 13 is a fragmented perspective view of a multi-walled bag having a rack block in a closed position and a bag seal area remaining in an open position according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 14 is a flow diagram of a method for producing a multi-walled bag according to the present invention. Detailed Description The present invention will now be more fully described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention. This invention can, however, performed in many different ways and should not be considered as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein. Instead, these embodiments are provided such that this disclosure will be broad and complete, and completely convey the spirit of the invention to those skilled in the art. Similar numbers refer to similar elements through it. The raw notation, if used, indicates similar elements in alternative embodiments. As illustrated in Figures 1-13, an embodiment of the present invention advantageously provides a bag of sidewalls 20 of tubular shape. The sidewall bag 20 includes an inner tube 37, an outer tube 35, a bag seal area 21, a flap member 22, a rack rail 24, and a rack block 34. The inner tube 37 preferably it has at least one layer of a polymeric material 41. The inner tube 37 includes an inner front wall region 38 and an inner rear wall region 39 positioned to face opposite the inner front wall region 38 (see figure 3). The outer tube 35 preferably has at least one layer of paper material 46. The outer tube 35 is positioned to substantially encircle outer surfaces of the inner tube 37. The outer tube 35 has an open end region 31, an end region. closed 32, an outer front wall region 33, and an outer rear wall region 84. The closed end region 32 is typically initially in an open position and adapted to receive filling material F therethrough. The closed end region 32 then closes as a seal to a closed position (see figure 9). The outer front wall region 33 is positioned between the open end region 31 and the closed end region 32 as illustrated (see Figures 1-3). The outer back wall region 84 is also positioned between the open end region 31 and the closed end region 32 and is positioned to face opposite the outer front wall region 33. The bag seal area 21 is formed adjacent to the outer wall region. open end 31 of the outer tube 35 (see FIGS. 1 and 3-4) such that the at least one layer of polymeric material 41 of the interior surfaces of the inner front wall region 38 of the inner tube 37 make contact in the manner of stop and seal to the inner surfaces of the inner rear wall region 39 of the inner tube 37. As shown in figures 5 and 6, the wing member 22 is formed of a plastic material and is connected to or attached to the bag seal area 21. This connection or connection, for example, may be on the outer surface of the outer tube 35 such as by the use of an adhesive material as illustrated or by attachment to one of the inner layer 41 of the inner tube 37 oac any of the layers 42, 47, 48 between them (see figures 2, 5 and 7). The fin member 22 extends substantially along the entire lateral extension of and along the outer front and rear wall regions 33, 84. The fin member 22 may include at least a pair of elongated fin strips 28, 29 positioned to look opposite each other. The rack rail 24 is connected to each of the pair of elongated fin strips 28, 29 of the fin member 22. The rack rail 24 includes a first rail strip 26 and a second rail strip 27. The first and second rail Rail strips 26, 27 are adapted to be positioned between an open position defined by the first and second rail strips 26, 27 being separated to allow access to the interior portions of the bag 20 and a closed position as a seal defined by the first and second rail strips 26, 27 making abutting contact with each other to prevent easy access to the interior portions of the bag 20 (see Figures 10-13). The rack block 34 is slidably connected to the rack rail 24 to allow the rack block 34 to move slidably along the rack rail 24 and move the first and second rail strips 26., 27 between the open position and the closed position. The flap member 22, the rack rail 24, and the rack block 34 together and in combination define a sliding rack and flap combination. According to another embodiment, the construction of the multi-walled bag 20 can be altered, for example, by forming a tube body 40 from a plurality of layers of material or by having the inner tube 37 and to the outer tube 35 as described above as understood by those skilled in the art. The tube body 40 has at least one inner layer 41 of polymeric material and at least one outer layer 46 of paper material positioned to substantially encircle the outer surfaces of the inner layer 41 of polymeric material. The tube body 40 has a pair of opposed tube ends 31, 32. An outer front wall region 33 is positioned between the pair of opposite tube ends. An outer back wall region 84 is positioned to face opposite the outer front wall region 33 and between the pair of opposite tube ends 31, 32. As shown in Figure 6, the multi-walled bag 20 may include a pair of corner staples 36 each connected to an opposite end of the rack rail 24 and the wing member 22. The corner staples 36, for example, help sell them to reduce the risk of damage to the rack block 34 and they can operate as a stop to the rack block at opposite ends of the rack rail 24. The bag seal area 21 preferably includes a heat seal at least positioned between the sliding rack and fin combination and the outer surfaces of the tube. exterior 35 such that the interior surfaces of the polymeric material of the inner front wall region 38 are heat sealed to the inner surfaces of the polymeric material of the rear wall region. to interior 39 (see figures 4 and 9-13). When the bag 20 is filled from the closed end (see Figures 8-9), the heat seal improves the protection of the slider and rack combination by operating as a region of construction stopper or bottom for the filling material and thereby improving the filling performance of the bag 20. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the heat seal preferably allows the interior surfaces of the interior front wall and interior rear wall regions 38, 39 to be detachably detach and stop sealing the interior surfaces of the interior front and rear wall regions 38, 39 without significant or substantial damage to the interior surfaces when initially opening the bag 20 through the sliding rack and flap combination ( see figures 10-13). The multi-walled bag 20 of one embodiment of the present invention also advantageously provides anti-tampering properties to indicate whether the bag 20 has already been opened. Once the bag seal area 21 has been opened initially as shown in Figures 10-13, the bag seal area 21 remains in addition not sealed even if the rack block 34 is in the closed position as shown in Figure 13. The inability to re-seal the bag seal area 21 as it is initially sealed indicates that an initial opening has occurred and that alterations with the opening of the bag 20 may have occurred. Various materials or chemical compounds can be used as the polymeric material of the inner layer 41 (or plurality of layers 41, 42), the inner tube 37. Preferably the polymeric material is selected from at least one of the following: polyethylene , polypropylene, nylon, ethylene vinyl acetate, ethylene vinyl alcohol, maleic anhydride, grafted polyethylenes and polypropylenes, and polyesters. The polymeric material preferably improves the effectiveness of the heat seal and even reduces the risk of damage to the polymeric material. Other suitable polymeric materials will be known to those skilled in the art and should be considered within the scope of the present invention. As it is understood by the technicians in the matter, the polymeric material is preferably formed by at least one of the following: extrusion, co-extrusion, lamination, and coating processes. Resistance to oil and grease is an important property for bags 20, particularly when they contain various types of food products, including pet foods. The resistance to oil and grease protects the contents inside the bag 20 from the outside, while also protecting the outside of the contents. In all embodiments of the present invention, the multi-walled bag 20 can be constructed to provide oil and grease resistance to the bag 20. The multi-walled bag 20 can be constructed such that the inner tube 37 also has a second layer 42 formed of a grease resistant material (see figure 2). The second layer 42 preferably lies on the first layer 41 as illustrated. The at least one paper layer 46 of the outer tube 35 can also be a plurality of paper layers 46, 47, 48. The outer tube 35 further includes at least one grease-resistant barrier 48 associated with the plurality of layers of paper. paper 46, 47, 48. The second layer 42 of the inner tube 37 can be constructed from at least one of the following materials: nylon, rubber, vinyl, and polymeric. The grease resistance barrier 48 of the outer tube 35 can be constructed by using a grease-resistant coating, applying a chemical to at least one of the plurality of paper layers 46, 47, 48 or providing a non-material layer of material. separate paper 48. The outer tube 35 may have a plurality of reinforcements 25 formed between the outer front wall region 33 and the outer rear wall region 84. At least a first of the plurality of reinforcements 25 is preferably formed in a first region between the outer front and rear wall regions 38, 39 such that they define a first outer sidewall region. At least one second of the plurality of reinforcements 25 is preferably formed in a second region between the outer front and rear wall regions 38, 39 such that they define a second outer side wall region positioned opposite the first side wall region. outside (see, eg, figures 3-4). The bag 20 may further have an adhesive material 49 positioned adjacent the plurality of reinforcements 25 such that when the heat seal is formed, the adhesive material 49 is also reheated to thereby improve the seal adjacent the reinforcements 25, such as when passing through the nail of a heat sealer as shown in Figure 4, and thereby defining a plurality of sealed reinforcements 32 to increase the resistance to drops and abuse of the bag 20 by means of strengthening the regions around the reinforcement and allow the bag to flex when the contents are positioned in it. This improved sealing of the reinforcements can also reduce the risk of access to contents of a bag 20 by a pest and can also reduce separation of the filling material when it is positioned in the bag 20. The fin member 22 of the combination of The zipper and fin may include a fin seal area associated with and positioned between the pair of fin strips 28, 29 and positioned adjacent the open end 31 of the outer tube 35 proximate the rack rail 24. In all embodiments of In the present invention, the fin seal area preferably includes an incision line 50 which is positioned between the fin strips 28, 29, as illustrated in Figures 10 and 11. The incision line 50 ensures that an initial opening of the rack rail 24 allows the fin seal area to be easily separated at the appropriate location to provide access to the filling material and interior contents of the bag 2 0. As shown in figures 1-14, in addition to multiple-walled bags that can be filled by the bottom 20, the present invention also advantageously provides a method for forming a multi-walled bag 20 having a rack associated therewith. The method 60 for forming the multi-walled bag 20 includes lamination of a plurality of layers 41, 42, 46, 47, 48 of the material (block 61) (see Figures 3-4 and 14). The plurality of layers 41, 42, 46, 47, 48 preferably include at least one layer 41 of polymeric material and at least one layer 46 of paper material. Once the layers 41, 42, 46, 47, 48 of material are laminated, the layers 41, 42, 46, 47, 48 are formed in a tube body 40 (block 62). The at least one layer 41 of polymeric material defines an inner surface of the tube body 40 and the at least one layer 46 of the paper material defines an outer surface of the tube body 40. The tube body 40 has a front wall and a rear wall positioned to face opposite the front wall. An end portion of the inner surface of the front wall is sealed with an opposite facing end portion of the inner surface of the rear wall to thereby define a bag seal area 21 (block 63). A combination of a wing member 22, a rack rail 24 connected to the wing member 22, and a rack block 34 connected to the rack rail 24 is connected to the bag seal zone 21 (block 64). The finished or finished product packaging can then be sent to a customer for filling by the phone and sealing the bottom (block 65) or such filling and sealing of the bag 20 can be carried out on site if desired.
The method for forming the multi-walled bag 20, for example, can be altered by supplying layers of materials that are already laminated. If the materials are already laminated, then the tube body can be formed without having to laminate the materials. In addition to the described steps, the method for forming may include applying an adhesive material 49 on regions of the tube body 40 between peripheral side edges of the front and rear walls to form a plurality of reinforcements 25 in the body of the cover 40 extending between the front wall and the rear wall to thereby define a pair of reinforced side walls. Heat can then be applied to at least one of the respective end portions 31, 32 of the front and rear walls of the tube body 40 and position the interior surfaces of the respective end portions of the front and rear walls to contact the in such a way that the inner surfaces of the front and rear walls adhere to each other and form a seal between them. The adhesive material 49 on the outer surfaces of the end portions of the pair of reinforced side walls is reactivated when heat is applied to at least one of the respective end portions of the front and rear walls and to hold the reinforced side walls to also forming a seal on the reinforced side walls such that the reinforced sealed side walls can further define a portion of the bag seal area 21 if desired. For example, as it will be better understood by those skilled in the art, the adhesive material may be reactivated during the application of a heat seal such as in a fund forming machine or fondera as understood by those skilled in the art. The end portions of the reinforcements can then be sealed by the use of the reactivated adhesive as the reinforcements pass through a nail or nail region of a machine that applies contact pressure at the end portions of the reinforcements. The sealed end portion of the tube body 40 preferably includes a first end portion and a second end portion. The tube body 40 is preferably filled with a filling material F through the second end portion when the first end portion is sealed such that the bag seal zone 21 operates as a stop to the flow of filling material. inside the tube body or as a constructive background (see figure 8). This, for example, can advantageously prevent the contact of the filling material F inside the tube body with the rack rail 24 and the rack block 34. The second end portion then closes after the tube body is filled with a desired amount of filler material F (see figure 9). Embodiments of the present invention also provide an additional method for using or additional steps to the methods for forming described herein. The rack block 34, for example, can be positioned in an open position. The rack rail 24 is then separated to provide access to the interior portions of the tube body 40. Also, the separation of a fin seal zone can be carried out by means of separating the fin strips 28, 29 together with a incision line 50 such as that formed with a laser or other device as understood by those skilled in the art. The inner surface of the front wall is then detachably removed from the inner surface of the back wall in the bag seal area 21 without causing any damage to the inner surface in the bag seal area 21 (see figures 10- 13). This also provides direct access to the contents of the tube body 40. For example, a method for using a bag 20 can advantageously include filling a bag 20 with product through a first end of the bag 20 and stopping the product from reaching a second end of the bag 20 by a bag seal area positioned adjacent the second end. The second end has at least one combination of a rack rail and a rack block positioned on the rack rail, and more preferably a flap member connected to the rack rail also, connected to the second end such that the bag seal area operates as a construction bottom to thereby improve the protection of the combination of rack rail and rack block during filling.
A method for using a bag 20 may also include moving a rack block positioned on a rack rail to an open rack block position. The rack rail is connected to a fin member, and the fin member is connected to a sealed end of a bag 20 defining a bag seal area. The fin member has a fin seal area positioned between the rack rail and the bag seal area. The method may further include separating the slide rail to an open rack rail position, separating the fin seal zone along an incision line formed therein to provide access to the bag seal zone, and separating the bag seal area thereby providing access to the contents of the bag. The combination of the fin member, rack rail, and the rack block can be connected to the bag seal area 21 by various methods. Such methods may include at least one of the following: applying an adhesive material between inner surfaces of the fin member 22 and outer surfaces of the tube body 40 in the bag seal region 21, adhering the fin member 22 to the body tube 40 between the at least one polymer layer 41 and the at least one layer of paper 46, and adhere the fin member 22 to the interior surfaces of the tube body 40. Other methods for connecting the combination to the seal area bag 21 will be known to those skilled in the art and should be considered within the scope of the present invention. Several advantages exist with the present invention. As a first advantage of the present invention, the bag seal zone 21 of the multi-walled bag 20 provides users with an indicator to determine if the bag 20 has already been opened. This indication alerts consumers of possible tampering with the bag 20. The bag seal zone 21 also protects the zipper combination that is used to seal the sidewall bag 20. As another advantage of the present invention, the bag Multiwall 20 is constructed in such a way as to prevent insects from being able to gain access to the contents within the bags. The bag seal zone 21 and the adhesively attached reinforcements 32 provide additional protection such that insects are not able to gain access to the interior of the bags. From the above it will be noted that the invention is well adapted to achieve all the aims and objectives expressed above, together with other advantages that are obvious and inherent to the method and product. It will be understood that certain characteristics and sub-combinations are useful and can be used without reference to other characteristics and sub-combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Because many possible embodiments can be made of the invention without departing from its scope, it should be understood that all matter expressed herein or shown in the accoying specification should be construed as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible to various changes without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, various types of substrates with or without coatings can be used to form the tube body of the multilayer bag. Suitable substrates and coatings will be known to those skilled in the art. The use of the multi-layer bag capable of being filled by the bottom with zipper combination can be used for many types of end products for consumers, such as candy wrappers, food items, or any type of packing that needs a strong bag with easy access to the contents of the bags.