US20100040309A1

US20100040309A1 - Embossed Drawtape for Polymeric Bags

Info

Publication number: US20100040309A1
Application number: US12/190,856
Authority: US
Inventors: Greg J. Wood
Original assignee: Poly-America LP
Current assignee: Poly-America LP
Priority date: 2008-08-13
Filing date: 2008-08-13
Publication date: 2010-02-18

Abstract

An embossed drawtape generally for use with drawstring polymeric bags is disclosed. The embossed drawtape is imprinted with an embossing pattern having a plurality of embosses. According to one embodiment, the embossing pattern may provide a better feel and improved characteristics for consumer use.

Description

The present disclosure generally relates to the construction and manufacture of polymeric bags and in particular to improvements to the drawtape used in drawstring-type polymeric bags, especially polymeric trash bags.

BACKGROUND

Polymeric bags are ubiquitous in modern society. As a natural result of the widespread adoption and use of polymeric bags, the bags are available in a countless number of combinations of capacities, thicknesses, dimensions, and colors. Polymeric bags may be used in numerous ways including for long-term storage, food storage, and trash collection. In response to consumer demand, manufacturers of polymeric bags have also developed several innovations over the years to improve the utility and performance of polymeric bags.
While the polymeric trash bags available to consumers are available in a variety of different configurations, certain configurations are designed to cater to certain uses and particular segments of the population. When considering the utility of polymeric trash bags, one issue of primary concern to both consumers and manufacturers is how the consumer can securely close and carry the trash bag after filling with debris. Securing the trash bag is of critical importance to containing the trash and other debris inside the trash bag when it is collected and transported. Over the years, the industry has developed several different methods for securely closing and carrying trash bags, each method having certain advantages and disadvantages over the other methods.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is generally directed to a drawtape for drawstring polymeric bags. The drawtape is manufactured from polyethylene and is imprinted with an embossing pattern comprised of a plurality of embosses. In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of embosses may be substantially circular in shape, substantially uniform in size, and distributed evenly within the embossing pattern. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the plurality of embosses may have a substantially uniform depth and be imprinted so as to extent from the base of the drawtape in a single direction. It is contemplated that the present disclosure may be manufactured with at least 20% high-density polyethylene. In certain embodiments the drawtape has a width of between 0.5 inches and 2 inches with a thickness of between 1.5 and 3 mils. In one embodiment, the width may be 1 inch with a thickness of 2.25 mils. In certain embodiments the polyethylene drawtape is a triple-ply, co-extruded drawtape.
The present disclosure is also directed to a drawstring polymeric bag utilizing an embossed drawtape. In particular, the present disclosure is directed toward a polymeric bag comprised of a front panel and a back panel that are joined along a first side, a second side, and a bottom of the respective panels to form the polymeric bag. The top end of the front panel is folded and sealed to form a first hem while the top end of the back panel is folded and sealed to form a second hem. A drawtape is disposed within at least one of the two hems and is imprinted with an embossing pattern comprising a plurality of embosses. As before, in preferred embodiments, the plurality of embosses are substantially circular in shape, are substantially uniform in size and are distributed evenly within the embossing pattern. Furthermore, the plurality of embosses may have a substantially uniform depth. In some embodiments, the embossed drawtape may have a width between 0.5 inches and 2 inches and a thickness of between 1.5 mils and 3 mils. In one embodiment, the width of the drawtape is 1 inch with a thickness of 2.25 mils.
The present disclosure is also directed toward a method for manufacturing an embossed drawstring bag. The present disclosure is directed toward the steps of manufacturing a polymeric bag with a front panel, a back panel, and an upper opening. A first hem is formed along the upper opening of the polymeric bag and a first embossed drawtape is disposed within the first hem. The first embossed drawtape is imprinted with an embossing pattern comprising a plurality of embosses. Furthermore, the present disclosure is also directed toward the steps of sealing a first end of the first embossed drawtape to a first side of the polymeric bag and sealing a second end of the first embossed drawtape to a second side of the polymeric bag. Additionally, the present disclosure is also directed toward the additional steps of forming a second hem along the upper opening of the polymeric bag and disposing a second embossed drawtape within the second hem formed along the upper opening of the polymeric bag, the second embossed drawtape imprinted with an embossing pattern comprised of a plurality of embosses.
It is contemplated that the present disclosure may be utilized in ways that are not fully described or set forth herein. The present disclosure is intended to encompass these additional uses to the extent such uses are not contradicted by the appended claims. Therefore, the present disclosure should be given the broadest reasonable interpretation in view of the present disclosure, the accompanying figures, and the appended claim. In addition, other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its features, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 provides an exemplary perspective view of a conventional drawstring-style polymeric trash bag;

FIG. 2 provides an exemplary overhead elevation view of a drawtape according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 provides an exemplary side elevation view of the embossed drawtape according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the dimensions exaggerated for effect; and

FIG. 4 provides an exemplary perspective view of a drawstring-style polymeric trash bag incorporating one embodiment of the embossed drawtape of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

There are a small number of conventional methods for generally securely closing and carrying trash bags used in commercially-available trash bags. The most basic of these methods is to include providing a twist-tie or similar strap to secure the top of the bag when it is bunched together. Another conventional method includes providing flaps extending from the top of the trash bag, which may be used for securely tying the top of the bag closed. A third conventional method to securely closing and facilitating carrying of a trash bag is to include a drawstring near the top edge of the bag. The drawstring is typically located in a hem along the upper edge of the bag, which may be used to pull the upper opening of the trash bag closed.
One conventional method to secure a trash bag includes providing a “tie” to accompany the refuse bag. “Twist-tie bags” typically include straight-cut bags, which have an ordinary circular opening at the top of the bag. After the twist-tie bag is filled with trash and debris, the top edge of the bag is bunched together and the twist-tie is used to hold the bunch together for disposal. The twist ties are typically constructed from a combination of paper and wire, but other types of ties may be utilized to secure the bag opening.
These methods of securing the trash bag are generally effective, but present certain challenges and disadvantages. For example, conventional bags that provide twist-ties are simple to produce because the shape of the bag is generally basic and the ties can be separately produced at very low cost. However, for the consumers, this method of closure can be inefficient in certain instances. First and foremost, the ties must be kept in a location that is convenient to the filled trash bags when needed to securely close the bag. Keeping the ties in a location separate from the bag itself is impractical and inconvenient, often resulting in lost or misplaced ties. Furthermore, it is difficult to carry a trash bag closed with a twist-tie as the only available material for carrying is the excess material in the tied bunch.
Other conventional methods include using a multi-flapped bag. A “multi-flapped” bag generally refers to a polymeric bag having a top edge cut in a wave-like pattern to provide two or more flaps extending upward from the top of the bag. These flaps, which are typically in paired configurations of two or four flaps, generally allow the user to tie opposing flaps together to secure the contents of the trash bag inside. When the flaps are secured to one another, the tied flaps also generally provide a handle for carrying the bag. Thus, multi-flapped bags are generally easier to use than twist-tie bags. Multi-flapped bags, however, still present certain challenges and disadvantages. For example, the multi-flap bag is still not generally as convenient as many commercially available drawstring bags.
Drawstring trash bags are a popular alternative to multi-flap and twist-tie trash bags. As the name suggests, drawstring bags generally employ a drawstring, or drawtape, which is incorporated into the bag design. The drawtape is typically incorporated into a hem that runs along the upper opening of the bag. The manufacture of a drawstring bag is relatively more complicated than either the ordinary bags used with twist-ties or the slightly more complicated multi-flap bags.
Despite their popularity, drawstring bags are not without criticism. In particular, the drawtape used with drawstring bags must be much stronger than the polyethylene used as the bag material. The drawtape material must resist the tendency to puncture or tear, which requires a resilient polyethylene to be utilized as the drawtape material. As a result, there is a long-felt need to provide a drawtape that does not feel as stiff as current drawtape while providing a high level of resistance to puncture and tear. The present disclosure generally addresses a long-felt need and provides systems and methods of using polymeric bags for trash collection.
Referring initially to FIG. 1, a perspective view of the upper half of a drawstring trash bag 100 as known is the prior art is depicted to provide context for the discussing the present disclosure. The drawstring trash bag 100 consists essentially of a front panel 102 and a back panel 104, both panels being substantially rectangular in shape. The front panel 102 and the back panel 104 are usually formed from a single piece of polymeric film, folded to form the bottom of the bag to form the two panels 102 and 104. However, other configurations utilizing two distinct panels 102 and 104 sealed along the bottom are known in the art. The front panel 102 and back panel 104 are sealed proximate to the sides of the bag to form a left bag seal 112 and a right bag seal 114. However, prior to forming the left bag seal 112 and right bag seal 114, a first hem 122 is formed along the top of edge of the front panel by folding the top edge of the front panel 102 a distance of approximately one to two inches and creating a hem seal 126 to form the bottom of the first hem 122. Similarly, a second hem 124 is formed along the top edge of the back panel 104 by folding the back panel 104 over and providing a second hem seal 128.
Still referring to FIG. 1, before the first and second hem seals 126 and 128 are created to form the first and second hems 122 and 124, a drawtape 150 is placed inside the hems 122 and 124 of the front panel 102 and back panel 104. At this point, the hem seals 126 and 128 are created to keep the drawtape within the hems 122 and 124. Similarly, a left and right drawtape seals 116 and 118 are formed along the edge of the bag during production. The drawtape seals 116 and 118 bind the ends of the first hem 122, second hem 124, the drawtape 150 contained within each hem 122 and 124. The drawtape seals 116 and 118 keep the ends of the drawtape secure when the drawtape is pulled by the user through the holes 132 and 134 provided in the hems 122 and 124. After the drawtape 150 is secured by the drawtape seals 116 and 118, the left bag seal 112 and right bag seal 114 can be provided to create the final drawstring bag 100. The drawtape 150 of FIG. 1 generally has a width of approximately 1 inch and a thickness of 2.25 mils. However, it is contemplated that the drawtape 150 could be narrowed to be only 0.5 inches wide or less in width or. Alternative, the drawtape 150 could be widened to be 2 inches or more in width. Furthermore, the drawtape 150 utilized in the drawstring bag may be manufactured using a single-ply construction or a multi-ply construction as known in the art. The most conventional multi-ply construction is a co-extruded, triple-ply construction utilizing three distinct layers of polyethylene.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a drawtape is depicted as contemplated by one embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 2 provides an elevation view of one exemplary embossed drawtape 200 contemplated by the present disclosure with a exemplary embossing pattern 202. The exemplary embossing pattern 202 depicted is comprised of a plurality of embosses 204. For this exemplary embossing pattern 202, the individual embosses 204 are circular, substantially uniform in size, evenly distributed and have substantially uniform depth as better depicted in FIG. 3. It is contemplated that essentially any conceivable embossing pattern may be utilized with the present disclosure. In particular, it is contemplated that the shapes of the plurality of embosses may be non-circular such as ellipses and irregular shapes. In fact, a combination of different shapes may be utilized within the same embossing pattern. Furthermore, the embossing pattern may utilize embosses that are not uniform in size and may be randomly or unevenly distributed. The particular embossing pattern used in each application is dependent on several factors including the tactile feel of the embossing pattern, the width and thickness of the drawtape and the desired application of the drawstring bag.
Referring now to FIG. 3, an exaggerated side elevation view of the exemplary embossed drawtape 200 is depicted. As can be seen, the exemplary drawtape 200 is comprised of the base polyethylene drawtape 206 which is embossed to form the plurality of embosses 204. In this exemplary embossed drawtape 200, the plurality of embosses 204 are unidirectional in that each of the plurality of embosses extends away from the base polyethylene drawtape 206 in a single direction. Furthermore, in the exemplary embossed drawtape 200, each of the plurality of embosses 204 are substantially uniform in depth. However, it is contemplated that alternative embodiments may utilize non-uniform depths and a combination of embosses extending both directions away from the base polyethylene drawtape 206.
Now referring to FIG. 4, an embossed drawstring bag 400 incorporating an embossed drawtape 200 is depicted. The embossed drawstring bag 400 of FIG. 4 is substantially the same as the drawstring bag 100 known in the prior art and previously described with respect to FIG. 1 except the embossed drawtape 200 is substituted for the non-embossed drawtape 100. The embossed drawtape 200 provides the end consumer with a more pleasing and desirable drawstring in the final product. Preliminary observations of the embossed drawtape 200 indicate that the embossed drawtape 200 provides a better tactile feel for the consumer and may result in a drawtape with more desirable physical characteristics.
As with the drawtape 150 utilized with the drawstring bag 100 of FIG. 1, it is contemplated that the embossed drawtape 200 will generally have a thickness of 2.25 mils. However, it is contemplated that the thickness of the embossed drawtape 200 in certain embodiments may be reduced to as little as 1.5 mils or less. Similarly, it is also contemplated that the thickness of the embossed drawtape 200 in certain embodiments may be increased to 3 mils or greater. Furthermore, the width of the embossed drawtape 200 is expected to be approximately 1 inch in most applications. However, it is contemplated that widths of 0.5 inches or less may be desirable in some applications while other applications require the use of an embossed drawtape 200 having a width of as much as 2 inches or greater.
It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used in this patent document. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like.
While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generally associated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, it is contemplated that any number of different embossing patterns may be utilized without diverging from the spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, the above description of example embodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. An embossed drawtape comprising:

a drawtape manufactured from polyethylene and imprinted with an embossing pattern having a plurality of embosses.

2. The embossed drawtape of claim 1, wherein the embosses are substantially circular in shape.

3. The embossed drawtape of claim 1, wherein the embosses are substantially uniform in size.

4. The embossed drawtape of claim 1, wherein the embosses are distributed evenly within the embossing pattern.

5. The embossed drawtape of claim 1, wherein the embosses have a substantially uniform depth.

6. The embossed drawtape of claim 1, wherein the embosses are imprinted so as to extend from a base of the drawtape in a single direction.

7. The embossed drawtape of claim 1, wherein the drawtape is manufactured from at least 20% high-density polyethylene.

8. The embossed drawtape of claim 1, wherein the drawtape has a width of between 0.5 inches and 2 inches and wherein the thickness of the drawtape is between 1.5 mils and 3 mils.

9. The embossed drawtape of claim 5, wherein the drawtape has a width of 1 inch and a thickness of 2.25 mils.

10. The embossed drawtape of claim 1, wherein the drawtape is a triple-ply, coextruded drawtape.

11. A drawstring polymeric bag comprising:

a front panel having a rectangular shape, wherein a top end of the front panel is folded and sealed to form a first hem;

a back panel having a rectangular shape, wherein a top end of the back panel is folded and sealed to form a second hem; and

a drawtape imprinted with an embossing pattern having a plurality of embosses, wherein the drawtape is disposed along at least one of: the first hem and the second hem, and

wherein the front panel and back panel joined along a first side, a second side, and a bottom of the respective panels to form a polymeric bag.

12. The bag of claim 11, wherein the embosses are substantially circular in shape.

13. The bag of claim 11, wherein the embosses are substantially uniform in size.

14. The bag of claim 11, wherein the embosses are distributed evenly within the embossing pattern.

15. The bag of claim 11, wherein the embosses have a substantially uniform depth.

16. The bag of claim 11, wherein the drawtape has a width of between 0.5 inches and 2 inches and a thickness between 1.5 mils and 3 mils.

17. The bag of claim 11, wherein the drawtape has a width of 1 inch and a thickness of 2.25 mils.

18. A method of manufacturing an embossed drawstring bag, the method comprising:

manufacturing a polymeric bag having a front panel, a back panel and an upper opening;

forming a first hem along the upper opening of the polymeric bag; and

disposing a first embossed drawtape along the first hem formed along the upper opening of the polymeric bag, the first embossed drawtape imprinted with an embossing pattern having a plurality of embosses.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

sealing a first end of the embossed drawtape to a first side of the polymeric bag; and

sealing a second end of the embossed drawtape to a second side of the polymeric bag.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

forming a second hem along the upper opening of the polymeric bag; and

disposing a second embossed drawtape within the second hem formed along the upper opening of the polymeric bag, the second embossed drawtape imprinted with an embossing pattern having a plurality of embosses.