US20120082404A1

US20120082404A1 - Ease Open Storage Bag Container

Info

Publication number: US20120082404A1
Application number: US13/221,981
Authority: US
Inventors: Angela Weir
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-09-30
Filing date: 2011-08-31
Publication date: 2012-04-05

Abstract

A storage bag opening device is provided to facilitate improved opening of a re-sealable storage bag. The device comprises a bag container, an edge trim, a set of ring tabs attached thereto, and a sealing means disposed on opposing inner surfaces of said edge trim. The bag container may be any resilient and reusable bag. Its upper edges are attached to or housed within the edge trim that is secured thereto. Ring tabs secured to the center of said edge trim are adapted to receive at least one of a user's fingers. To open the bag, a user pulls the ring tabs outward in opposing directions to cause separation therebetween, thereby causing the re-sealing means to disengage and open the bag. The re-sealing means may then be firmly pressed together to close the container and create an air and moisture tight seal.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/388,035 filed on Sep. 30, 2010, entitled “Easy Open Packaging.”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage bag opening device, and more specifically an easily openable storage bag container.
People often utilize re-sealable storage bags to protect articles that are sensitive to air and moisture environments, including food products, toiletries, books, clothing, linen and other biodegradable or age sensitive products. These articles can become damaged if exposed to open environment for lengthy periods of time, thus they should be stored in a controlled environment with air and moisture tight seals. There are many types of re-sealable storage bags available to the consumer. The most common type of bag utilizes a set of interlocking grooves to affect a cohesive seal. The problem with these storage bags is that they can be difficult to open. Generally, the grooves are formed as an integral part of the storage bag and the graspable area above said grooves limited with respect to a user's finger size. It may be hard for users with wet hands or poor motor skills to open such storage bags given the small area on the seal to grip or gain purchase.
Users attempting to open these types of storage bags resort to excessive force on lower portions of the bag in an attempt to force the interlocking grooves to disengage. This often results in tearing of the bag or a rapid opening of the seal, which can result in expelled contents and damaged goods. If the contents are fragile, liquid, or staining, then the results of a storage bag tear can be damaging and costly. Instead of repeated use of a single bag, a torn bag must then be discarded, which results in accumulation of waste products that can be harmful to the environment and costly for a user. A re-sealable storage bag device is therefore needed that provides easy opening and re-sealing to reduce the occurrence of bag tearing, and thereby reduce potential damage to a user's property and the accumulation of waste products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art contains a variety of storage bag devices for promoting easy opening of a bag container. These devices have familiar design and structural elements for the purposes of opening bags; however they are not adapted for the task of providing graspable ring tabs attached to the bag itself to facilitate improved opening of a bag.
Kindseth, U.S. Pat. No. 2,654,519 discloses a bag opener for cellophane bags. The bag opener device comprises a supporting means and a bag expanding means. The bag expanding means includes an inclined plate, having its upper portion secured to the inclined plate or the supporting means by fasteners. Secured to the plate are opposing, elongated hinge members. Wing members are secured to the elongated hinge members, whereby when the same are rotated, the wing members swing inwardly or outwardly. The wing members are sized so that upon swinging outwardly the body walls of a cellophane bag will be expanded to their maximum fullness. In this manner a bag may be filled to capacity without a user holding it open. This device is used for holding bags open and expanding their shape, not for opening sealed bags. Kindseth does not disclose tabs adapted for receiving human fingers, nor does it disclose re-sealable means disposed along the upper inside surface of a bag.
Sanford, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0059471 is a device for opening unsealed bags. It resembles a small book, which when opened, has the overall dimensions of a credit card. Each half of the book has separate pages comprised of sticky note pads. The pads are positioned such that when closed, the sticky surfaces are facing one another. To avoid this, a cellophane separator is positioned in the middle to keep the pages from sticking to themselves. To use the Sanford invention, a user places the “book” over an open end of a bag and closes it. The spring nature of the binding causes the “book” to open when released. The sticky paper then separates the two halves of the bag, allowing it to be opened with ease. The paper pages can then be removed from the bag and the invention is ready to reuse on a next bag. This invention relates to a device separate from the bags themselves, unlike the present invention, which incorporates a sealable storage bag and facilitates the opening thereof. Sanford does not disclose tabs adapted to receive human fingers, nor does it disclose the ability to open sealed bags.
Muckenfubs, U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,286 discloses an easy open storage bag for carrying compressed articles. The compression reduces the volume of internal contents as much as 50% or more. In a preferred embodiment, the bag encloses the compressed articles and exhibits a substantially rectilinear shape. The bag preferably includes an integral carrying handle. The side, front, and back panels of the bag are subject to tension imposed by the articles. The top of the bag is closed by forming side gussets and sealing vertically extending portions of the front and back panels to one another. A continuous line of weakness spanning a tensioned side wall of the bag and continuing into the closed uppermost end of the bag is provided. The portion of the line of weakness in the uppermost end of the bag is located near the innermost portions of the opposed inwardly folded side gussets such that the bag may be easily opened by grasping the outermost edge of the top of the bag and partially separating or completely removing the corner of the bag, along with the included side gusset, along the line of weakness. Partial separation or complete removal of a portion of the tensioned side panel of the bag allows the coinciding portion of the stack of compressed articles to project in fan-like array through the aperture to permit easy one-at-a-time removal. The structure and method of opening a storage bag does not disclose a set of tabs secured to the top of the device and adapted to receive human fingers.
Hoover et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,560 discloses a plastic film bag with overlying front and rear bag walls, and upper edges defining a bag mouth. Pleats defined in each bag wall extend vertically downward from the mouth-forming edges. The pleats, upon expansion by direct finger engagement therewith or the application of outwardly directed opposite forces on the opposed ends of the mouth portion of the bag cause a lateral separation of the edges for initiating opening of the bag mouth. The bag may be vertically partitioned into lateral compartments with at least one wall including a mouth-opening pleat therein. Hoover does not disclose a device to facilitate opening of a bag having tabs attached to an upper edge and adapted to receive human fingers. Additionally, Hoover does not disclose a resealing means disposed along the inside edge of a bag.
Berbert et al, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0254731 discloses a bag for carrying medium to heavy loads comprising a body formed from a flexible thermoplastic film, such that the body comprises a first panel and an opposing second panel, a receptacle cavity formed the first and second panels, an integral handle opening, and an easy-open feature which extends longitudinally from a top seal to an opposing bottom seal and positioned adjacent to a first side seal of the body. The easy-open feature comprises at least one of (i) at least one line of structural weakness in the thermoplastic film, (ii) a re-closable fastener adhered to the thermoplastic film, or (iii) a combination of (i) and (ii). The easy open feature of Texeira does not include a set of tabs adapted to receive a user's fingers for the purpose of spreading a sealed bag opening.
The devices disclosed by the prior art do not address the need for a durable, graspable set of handles that allow a user to separate the edges of a removably sealed bag opening. The current invention relates to a device that improves a user's ability to separate a bag opening. It substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to the existing storage bag opening devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of storage bag opening devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new opening device wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when opening a removably sealed bag. The device comprises a bag container, an edge trim, a set of ring tabs attached thereto, and a sealing means. The bag container may comprise a bag of varying dimension and construction that has two side portions that are permanently sealed and an open top portion. Secured to the bag container open portion is an edge trim. Ring tabs are centrally attached to the said edge trim on opposing sides of the bag. The ring tabs are adapted to fit a user's fingers so that a user may grasp each tab with at least one finger from each hand and pull the bag opening apart, unsealing the bag.
A sealing means is disposed along the inside surfaces of the edge trim. The two sides may be pressed together to affect a removable seal that reduces the oxidation of contents within the bag. To open the device after it is sealed, a user grasps a ring tab with each hand and pulls in opposing directions. The separation force disengages the first side of the seal from the second so that a user may have access to the contents of the bag. The use of tabs to open the bag container improves a user's ability to apply a separation force on the seal and open the bag, and eliminates the risk of grasping the sides of the bag to separate the seal. The latter can result in tearing of the bag and spilled contents. Reducing torn bags reduces product waste and spillage. Furthermore, a more robust opening mechanism results in bags that are longer lasting, promoting reuse and a reduction in waste storage bags.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved storage bag opening device having all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved storage bag opening device having graspable tabs for assisting a user with pulling open the bag.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved storage bag opening device having a sealing means disposed along an edge trim of the bag, reduce the risk of tearing the bag by pulling from the sidewalls thereof when separating a seal.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved storage bag opening device to reduce oxidation of materials contained within, while remaining easily openable by a user with greasy, dirty or slippery hands.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved storage bag opening device having resilient and durable construction that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
A final object of the present invention is to reduce waste by promoting a more robust storage bag opening means that eliminates torn or damaged bags from opening attempts. A bag opening means that reduces tears and bag damage will increase reuse and reduce waste bags that may be harmful to the environment.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

The above invention will be better understood and the objects set forth above as well as other objects not stated above will become more apparent after a study of the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes use of the annexed drawings wherein like numeral references are utilized throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a storage bag opening device according to the present invention while in use.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a storage bag opening device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a magnified view of the ring tabs and sealing means of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the storage bag opening device. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for easily opening a storage bag. This is for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 & 2, there is shown a storage bag opening device according to the present invention. The device comprises a bag container 11, an edge trim 12, a set of ring tabs 13, and a sealing means 14. The bag container 11 has two side portions and an optional bottom portion. The sides and bottom are permanently attached and cohesively sealed to form a bag container with an interior volume. An open upper portion having two laterally opposing sides is provided for access to the bag interior. The upper edges of the bag container 11 are sealable using a sealing means 14 disposed along the interior of the bag edge trim 12. The sealing means may include interlocking tabs, snaps or similar sealing device that runs the length of the opening and provides an air and moisture tight closure. Centrally located along each edge trim 12 is a ring pull tab 13. These tabs are adapted to be grasped by a user and pulled in opposite directions to facility unsealing of the bag. The tabs 13 provide a secure location along the edge trim 12 for a user to grasp and apply a separation force to the sealing means 14. The tabs 13 are raised structures with a circular penetration to make room for a user's finger tip.
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a magnified view of the edge trim 12, ring tabs 13, and sealing means 14 of the present invention. A pair of ring pull tabs 13 are disposed and secured to the upper edges of opposing sides of the edge trim 12. These tabs 13 may be circular or rectangular in shape, and have a circular cutout in their center. The cutout is adapted to allow a user to insert at least one finger through the tab 13 and grasp the same. Disposed along the length of the inner surface of the edge trim is a sealing means 14. The sealing means 14 may comprise a first and second set of interlocking grooves that execute an air and water tight seal when pressed together. Other sealing means may be used according to the bag container's intended use, such as snaps or hook and fastener means. The edge trim 12, ring tabs 13, and sealing means 14 may be constructed of any flexible and durable material, such as plastic.
In use an individual grips the device by the ring tabs and exerts outward force in opposing directions. The outward force results in disengagement of the sealing means. A user may then access the contents stored within the bag container. To re-seal the bag and prevent air or moisture from entering or exiting the container, a user simply presses opposing sides of the sealing means together. This reseals the bag container and reduces oxidization of the contents stored within. Because the ring tabs are attached to the edge trim, the bag container itself is not being pulled apart when the bag is opened, and thus the risk of tearing the bag structure is reduced. The construction of the present invention thus helps reduce the risk of bag tearing and its contents being spilled. Reduction in the occurrence of bag destruction increases the longevity of a single bag, promoting reuse and reduction of waste bag products.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1) A storage bag opening device, comprising:

a bag container having a connected first side and a second side and an open top portion forming a container with an interior volume;

an edge trim attached along said open top portion;

a pair of located ring pull tabs centrally located along said edge trim and projecting therefrom;

a sealing means disposed along the length of said inner surface of said edge trim to close and seal said bag container interior volume.

2) The device of claim 1, wherein said sealing means comprises a set of interlocking grooves disposed on laterally opposing sides of said inner surface of said edge trim.

3) The device of claim 1, wherein said ring tabs have a cutout to receive at least a finger from a user.

4) The device of claim 3, wherein said cutout is circular in shape.