US20220144494A1 - Easy to open bag and a method for making the same - Google Patents
Easy to open bag and a method for making the same Download PDFInfo
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- US20220144494A1 US20220144494A1 US17/521,241 US202117521241A US2022144494A1 US 20220144494 A1 US20220144494 A1 US 20220144494A1 US 202117521241 A US202117521241 A US 202117521241A US 2022144494 A1 US2022144494 A1 US 2022144494A1
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- bag
- bags
- plies
- sheet
- inner ply
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Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D31/00—Bags or like containers made of paper and having structural provision for thickness of contents
- B65D31/005—Bags or like containers made of paper and having structural provision for thickness of contents by folding a single blank to U-shape to form the base of the bag and opposite sides of the body-portion, the remaining sides being formed by extensions of one or more of these opposite sides
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D31/00—Bags or like containers made of paper and having structural provision for thickness of contents
- B65D31/04—Bags or like containers made of paper and having structural provision for thickness of contents with multiple walls
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D31/00—Bags or like containers made of paper and having structural provision for thickness of contents
- B65D31/16—Bags or like containers made of paper and having structural provision for thickness of contents of special shape
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D33/00—Details of, or accessories for, sacks or bags
- B65D33/007—Details of, or accessories for, sacks or bags for facilitating the separation of the two walls, e.g. walls of inequal height, tabs; for maintaining the mouth of the sack or bag open
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D33/00—Details of, or accessories for, sacks or bags
- B65D33/002—Rolls, strips or like assemblies of bags
Definitions
- the present invention generally relates to an easy to open bag.
- Bags such as produce bags, trash bags, or other similar bags are often difficult to open. Before being used, the bags are often provided as part of a roll with a large number of bags connected together. For packaging purposes and due to space constraints, the bags are often packed tightly together, and each individual bag may be folded as well. Additionally, some bags include adhesive material to help adhere the folds of an individual bag together, and many users may have difficulty in locating the folds of a bag. For each of these reasons, users may have great difficulty in unfolding bags and then opening the bags.
- the present invention relates to a bag that may be easily opened so that groceries and/or other objects may be placed within the bag.
- the bag has locations where a user may pinch and pull the bag material so that the bag may be opened. These locations may be provided at the edges of the bag, where users typically attempt to open a bag.
- An indication such as text, coloring, or markings may be provided on the bag or on a container holding the bag to inform the user about where the bag should be pinched and pulled in order to easily open the bag.
- the bags may beneficially be folded when stored and may be implemented into sheets comprising a large number of individual bags that are removably secured together.
- the bag comprises a first end and a second end and has a generally tubular shape.
- the first end is configured to remain sealed, the second end is configured to be opened, and the second end defines a recess.
- the bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end.
- the bag comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end, and the bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies. At least one inner ply is formed, at least two outer plies are formed, and a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed.
- the sheet of bags comprises at least two bags, with each of the at least two bags having a generally tubular shape.
- Each of the at least two bags also comprises a first end and a second end, with the first end being configured to remain sealed.
- the second end of each of the at least two bags defines a recess and is configured to be opened.
- Each of the at least two bags is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end.
- Each of the at least two bags comprises a first cross-section at a location between the first end and the second end.
- Each of the at least two bags is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies.
- At least one inner ply is formed, at least two outer plies are formed, and a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed.
- the at least two bags comprises at least a first bag and a second bag, and the first end of the first bag and the second end of the second bag are removably attached to each other.
- the first bag and the second bag are configured to be separated from each other upon the application of force by a user.
- Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method for opening a bag.
- the method comprises providing a bag having a generally tubular shape and comprising a first end and a second end.
- the first end is configured to remain sealed and the second end is configured to be opened.
- the second end defines a recess, and the bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end.
- the bag comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end.
- the bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies, with at least one inner ply being formed, with at least two outer plies being formed. A first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed.
- the method further comprises pinching the first portion of the at least one inner ply, pinching a second portion on the surface of one or more of the at least two outer plies, and pulling the first portion and the second portion apart to increase the area of the recess defined within the second end of the bag.
- Another aspect of the invention is related to a method for preparing a sheet of bags for the containment in packaging.
- This method comprises providing at least two bags and folding the at least two bags to form at least three plies, wherein two outer plies and one or more inner plies are formed.
- the method also comprises exposing at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies and removably securing the at least two bags together to form a sheet comprising multiple bags.
- FIG. 1A is a top view of an exemplary closed and folded bag of an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1B is a top view of the bag presented in FIG. 1A where the bag is in the process of being unfolded and opened.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic, perspective view of an exemplary sheet of bags of an embodiment of the present invention, where the sheet is configured around an axis to form a bag-on-a-roll.
- FIG. 3A is a schematic, perspective view of an exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where two inner plies and a tab are provided.
- FIG. 3B is a schematic, cross-sectional view of the bag presented in FIG. 3A where the bag is folded and closed.
- FIG. 3C is a schematic, cross-sectional view of the bag presented in FIG. 3A where the bag is in the process of being unfolded and opened.
- FIG. 3D is a schematic view of a bag where the bag may be further folded to obtain the configuration of the bag presented in FIG. 3A .
- FIG. 4A is a top view of an exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed.
- FIG. 4B is a top view of the bag presented in FIG. 4A where the bag is in the process of being unfolded and opened.
- FIG. 5 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where two inner plies are provided.
- FIG. 6 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where one inner ply is provided.
- FIG. 7 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where two inner plies are provided with a first inner ply that is longer than the other plies.
- FIG. 8 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where two inner plies are provided with a first inner ply that is longer than the other plies and with the first inner ply being further folded.
- FIG. 9 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where two inner plies are provided that are further folded.
- FIG. 10 is schematic, top view of an exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where a corner of an outer ply is further folded.
- FIG. 11 is another schematic, top view of an exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where a section of an outer ply is removed.
- FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for preparing a sheet of bags for the containment in packaging in an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1A is a top view of an exemplary closed and folded bag 100 of an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 1B is a top view of the bag of FIG. 1A where the bag 100 is in the process of being opened.
- the bag 100 is provided with a first end 102 and a second end 104 , and the bag 100 has a generally tubular shape.
- the first end 102 is configured to remain sealed and the second end 104 defines a recess.
- the shape of bag 100 may not be entirely tubular because the first end 102 may remain sealed, but the bag 100 may maintain a generally tubular shape as other portions of the bag 100 may have a hollow cross section.
- the bag 100 may be a star seal bag, and this star seal may be provided at the first end 102 to assist with maintaining a seal.
- the “star seal” design (a bag having multiple layers and longitudinally folded over on itself and sealed at the bottom so that when it is opened up, the bottom of the bag viewing from the inside resembles a star) offers excellent bottom seal strength with thin gauge films. These bags are strong and may distribute load more evenly in comparison to other types of bags. Further, star seal bags may conform to the shape of another container more easily, making the bags particularly useful for use as trash bags and liners placed within a rigid or semi-rigid container. While a star seal bag will preferably be used, other types of bags may also be used.
- a flat seal or a gusseted seal may be provided at the first end 102 to seal the bag 100 .
- Grocery produce bags of this star seal type are somewhat easier to open than the traditional roll produce bags. Openability of this star seal type bag is improved due to the increased number of layers of film at the bag mouth.
- the recess defined at the second end 104 is closed so that a user may not insert items into the bag 100 through the recess.
- the bag 100 is generally closed in FIG. 1A . This may occur so that contamination may be prevented inside of the bag 100 , and this closed state may also occur so that the bag 100 may be tightly packed with other bags when stored or shipped and to facilitate ease of dispensing.
- the first end 102 of a bag may be removably secured to other bags at the edge 110 .
- perforations may be provided at edge 110 , and two bags may be separated from each other by tearing the perforations at the edge 110 .
- other approaches for removably securing the bags may also be used, such as by applying adhesives, by adding additional material that may be torn after the application of sufficient force, folding together layers of a bottom end of a bag into the top end of the next bag, etc.
- the bag 100 is configured to be opened at the second end 104 so that the recess defined at the second end 104 enlarges in area. Once opened, the bag 100 is configured to receive one or more objects through the recess defined within the second end 104 .
- the bag 100 is folded so that the bag 100 maintains generally the same cross section along a first direction running from the first end to the second end.
- the shape of the cross section may vary at certain positions along the first direction in some embodiments.
- the cross section at the first end 102 may be different than the cross section at other locations.
- the bag 100 may be folded so that three or more plies are provided. Of these three or more plies, at least one inner ply 108 is formed and two outer plies 106 are formed. While the outer plies 106 cover up most of the surface area for the inner plies 108 , a first portion of the at least one inner plies 108 is left exposed.
- the bag 100 is configured to allow a user to pinch or grasp and pull the bag at the exposed first portion of the at least one inner plies 108 while also pinching and pulling a second portion of the bag 100 at the external surface on one or more of the outer plies 106 in an opposite direction.
- the first portion may be pinched and pulled to the left while the second portion may be pinched and pulled to the right.
- the outer plies 106 may begin to shift as illustrated in FIG. 1B , causing the recess defined within the second end 104 to increase in area.
- a user may finish opening the bag at the one or more inner plies 108 with ease by pulling a first point 107 near the second end 104 and a second point 109 near the second end 104 . This pinching and pulling may be performed simply using one's fingers.
- a portion of the bag 100 may be removably fixed or held in place either by a user pinching or in another manner such as mechanical means to provide a neutral or counter force to a portion of bag 100 while the user may pinch and pull only one of either of the at least one inner plies 108 or a second portion of bag 100 to open the recess on second end 104 .
- FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary sheet 250 consisting of a plurality of individual bags 200 that are identical or nearly identical.
- the sheet 250 is packed tightly into a roll, and individual bags 200 may be removed from other bags in the sheet 250 by pulling an accessible end of the sheet 250 away from the roll and tearing or pulling an individual bag 200 from the sheet 250 .
- the individual bags 200 may each comprise a first end 202 and a second end 204 , 204 ′.
- the individual bags 200 may also comprise an edge 210 with perforations, and the bags 200 may also define one or more recesses 212 , 212 ′ proximate to the second end 204 .
- the recess 212 ′ on the next bag is configured to come into contact with a projection or protrusion such as a prong, and, by pulling the bag 200 , the projection may exert a force that causes the perforations to be torn and causes the bag 200 to be removed from the remainder of the sheet 250 .
- the sheets may be packed and stored with the bags formed into a bag-on-a-roll, the sheets may also be packed in other manners as well.
- the sheet may be folded so that parallel layers are formed.
- the bags are not removably secured to form sheets, and the individual bags may be packed together as a group into parallel layers as well.
- FIG. 3A is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary bag 300 of an embodiment of the present invention. This figure is exaggerated to show the various plies that are formed when the bag 300 is folded.
- the bag 300 comprises two outer plies 314 and two inner plies 316 .
- the inner plies 316 extend a greater length than the outer plies 314 (in the x-direction here) so that a first portion 320 on the external surfaces of the inner plies 316 remain exposed.
- This additional length 319 is shown in FIGS. 3B & 3C , and the first portion 320 is provided on the additional length 319 .
- the bag 300 has an additional tab 322 .
- a user may pinch and pull an exposed first portion 320 at one or more of the inner plies 316 and the user may also pinch and pull the tab 322 in the opposite direction.
- the bag 300 may provide the user with a distinctly evident location where they are supposed to pinch the bag 300 so that the bag 300 may be opened.
- the location of the tab 322 allows for the bag 300 to be efficiently opened because pinching and pulling the tab 322 will cause both of the outer plies 314 to be unfolded simultaneously and in parallel, enhancing the ease of opening the bag 300 .
- the tab 322 may be positioned elsewhere on the bag 300 as desired to improve the bag opening function.
- the tab 322 may be an additional material that is added or affixed to the bag 300 so that the bag 300 may be easily opened, or the tab 322 may not be made of an additional material and may instead be created by folding the bag 300 to provide the tab 322 .
- tab 322 may be created by configuring a piece of material of bag 300 , such as from a die-cut flap, vent, or aperture in bag 300 .
- a person may pinch the first portion 320 with one hand, pinch a second portion 318 ( FIG. 3B ) on the surface of the tab 322 with another hand, and pull the first portion 320 and the second portion 318 apart to increase the area of the recess defined within the second end 304 of the bag 300 .
- other devices may be used to assist in opening the bag 300 .
- the bag 300 may be marked or the user may be instructed to pinch and pull the tab 322 so that the bag 300 may be opened.
- instructions or indications may be printed on the bag 300 to show the user where the bag 300 should preferably be pinched and pulled. These instructions or indications may be provided through the use of coloring, text, images, etc.
- the first portion 320 and/or the second portion 318 may have a textured consistency different from the rest of the bag 300 material to aid in viewing the pinching area and in pinching or grasping the bag 300 .
- the first portion 320 and second portion 318 may have a higher coefficient of friction than the other areas on the bag 300 in some embodiments, which may assist with pinching or grasping the bag 300 .
- FIG. 3B is schematic, cross-sectional view of the bag 300 presented in FIG. 3A .
- the inner plies 316 comprise an additional length 319 that extends past the full length of the outer plies 314 , and the first portion 320 of the inner ply 316 may be provided at this additional length 319 .
- FIG. 3B also allows the tab 322 and the second portion 318 on that tab to be more easily seen.
- the second portion 318 may be positioned anywhere on the tab 322 , and the bag 300 may still be opened even when other pinch locations are used.
- FIG. 3C is a schematic, cross-sectional view of the bag 300 presented in FIG. 3A where the bag 300 is in the process of being unfolded and opened.
- the recess of second end 304 is increased becoming 304 ′ and bag 300 may be easily opened.
- FIG. 3B shows this bag 300 when it is in a state to be opened.
- a user may fully open the bag 300 with ease. For example, the user may pull the first point 307 and the second point 309 at the second end 304 shown in FIG. 3C to fully open the bag 300 and unfold the inner plies 316 .
- FIG. 3D is a schematic, cross-sectional view of an exemplary bag 300 ′, which may be further folded to obtain the bag 300 of FIG. 3A .
- the bag 300 ′ comprises two outer plies 314 and two inner plies 316 as well as a tab 322 .
- the bag 300 ′ may be generally folded along line 323 , shifting the plies on the left in a counterclockwise direction and/or shifting the plies on the right in a clockwise direction so that inner plies 316 may be positioned adjacent to each other.
- the bag 300 may be provided and the bag 300 may eventually be opened using the second portion 318 at tab 322 and the first portion 320 at one or more of the additional lengths 319 .
- FIG. 4A is a top view of an exemplary bag 400 of an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4B is a top view of the bag 400 presented in FIG. 4A where the bag 400 is in the process of being unfolded and opened.
- This embodiment comprises a cross section similar to the cross section of the bag 300 presented in FIG. 3B , but the tabs 420 comprise additional material that is added at the free edge of an upper ply and at the free edge of a lower ply.
- the tabs 420 may be pinched and pulled in opposite directions to open the bag.
- the tabs 420 comprise a different material than the material of other portions of the bag 400 , and the tabs 420 are colored differently than the other portions of the bag.
- the tabs 420 may be more noticeable to a user so that a user will be more likely to pinch at the tabs 420 .
- Providing tabs 420 with a different material may also be beneficial because the tabs may comprise a material with a higher coefficient of friction than the remainder of the bag, making it easier for users to pull on the tabs and allowing the material in the remainder of the bag to be more easily opened. Having a lower coefficient of friction for most of the bag may be beneficial so that the bag material may easily slide without excess friction.
- the bag 400 may also be folded first and the tabs may be added after the folding has been performed—by doing this, the bag 400 may generally maintain an improved balance and symmetry during the folding process, allowing a folding machine to generate the folding arrangement shown with increased reliability.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic, cross sectional view of a bag 500 .
- This bag has two outer plies 514 and two inner plies 516 .
- the inner plies 516 comprise an additional length 519 that extends past the full length of the outer plies 514 , and the first portion 520 may be provided at one or more of these additional lengths 519 .
- the bag 500 may be opened by pinching and pulling an exposed first portion 520 while also pinching and pulling one or more exposed second portions 518 of the outer plies 514 .
- FIG. 6 is a schematic, cross sectional view of a bag 600 .
- This bag has two outer plies 614 and only one inner ply 616 .
- This inner ply 616 comprises an additional length 619 that extends past the full length of the outer plies 614 , and the first portion 620 may be provided at this additional length 619 .
- the bag 600 may be opened by pinching and pulling an exposed first portion 620 of the inner ply 616 while also pinching and pulling one or more exposed second portions 618 of the outer plies 614 .
- FIG. 7 is another schematic, cross-sectional view of an exemplary bag 700 of an embodiment of the present invention.
- This bag 700 operates similar to the bag 500 presented in FIG. 5 , with two outer plies 714 , and two inner plies 716 , 717 provided.
- a first inner ply 716 is provided that comprises an excess length 719 that extends past the full length of a second inner ply 717 .
- the second inner ply 717 comprises the same length as the outer plies 714 , but these lengths may be modified in other embodiments.
- This bag 700 is configured so that a user may pinch and pull an exposed first portion 720 on the first inner ply 716 while also pinching and pulling one or more exposed second portions 718 on the external surface of one or more of the outer plies 714 .
- FIG. 8 is another schematic, cross-sectional view of an exemplary bag 800 of an embodiment of the present invention.
- This bag 800 operates similar to the bag 700 presented in FIG. 7 in some respects.
- the excess length 819 of the first inner ply 816 is even longer than the excess length 719 of the first inner ply 716 in FIG. 7 .
- the excess length 819 of the first inner ply 816 is further folded. In this way, the bag 800 may be packed more tightly while still allowing the bag 800 to be easily opened.
- a user may pinch and pull a first portion 820 located at the excess length 819 of the first inner ply 816 while also pinching and pulling one or more second portions 818 at an external face of one or more of the outer plies 814 in order to open the bag.
- the bag 800 may generally maintain an improved balance and symmetry, allowing a folding machine to generate the folding arrangement with increased reliability.
- FIG. 9 is another schematic, cross-sectional view of an exemplary bag 900 of an embodiment of the present invention.
- two outer plies 914 and two inner plies 916 are provided, and both of the inner plies 916 comprise an additional length 919 that extends past the full length of the outer plies 914 .
- the additional lengths 919 for each of the two inner plies 916 is folded.
- the bag 900 may be packed more tightly while still allowing the bag 900 to be easily opened.
- the bag 900 may generally maintain an improved balance and symmetry, allowing a folding machine to generate the folding arrangement with increased reliability.
- the bag 900 may be opened similar to bag 800 described above.
- FIG. 10 is schematic, top view of an exemplary bag 1000 of an embodiment of the present invention.
- two outer plies 1014 are provided, and at least one inner ply 1016 is provided.
- the outer plies 1014 may generally possess the same length as the inner plies 1016 .
- a corner 1024 at the free edge 1015 of the outer plies 1014 may be folded so that a first portion 1020 of the inner plies 1016 may be exposed.
- a user may open and unfold the bag 1000 by pinching and pulling at the first portion 1020 and at the second portion 1018 , which is located on the external surface of one of the outer plies 1014 .
- a fold may also be made at other locations, such as at the free edge 1015 .
- the bag 1000 may generally maintain a symmetrical shape and balance when produced by a folding machine—a folding machine may fold the bag 1000 to create the folding arrangement shown, folding the corner 1024 as the last step. Because of this ability to maintain balance, the folding machine may generate the folding arrangement with increased reliability.
- FIG. 11 is another schematic, top view of an exemplary bag 1100 of an embodiment of the present invention.
- the bag 1100 comprises two outer plies 1114 and at least one inner ply 1116 , and each of these outer and inner plies possess generally the same length.
- a section of at least one of the outer plies 1114 is removed so that a recess is defined proximate to the free edge 1115 of the outer plies 1114 .
- This recess allows a first portion 1120 of the surface at the inner ply 1116 to be exposed.
- the bag 1100 may then be opened similarly to the previous embodiments, using the first portion 1120 and the second portion 1118 .
- the bag 1100 may generally maintain balance when the folding arrangement shown is produced by a folding machine, allowing a folding machine to generate the folding arrangement with increased reliability.
- FIG. 12 provides a method 1200 for preparing a sheet of bags for the containment in packaging.
- a plurality of bags is provided, and the plurality of bags may comprise at least two, like bags.
- the plurality of bags may be provided in the form of a sheet.
- each bag or the sheet is folded to form at least three plies so that two outer plies and one or more inner plies are formed.
- the bags may be folded similarly to any of the arrangements described above, such as in FIGS. 3A-3D and the corresponding text.
- the sheet or the plurality of bags having at least two bags are rendered to be removably secured together.
- the bags are configured so that the user may quickly and easily remove an individual bag from the remainder of the sheet.
- the bags may be removably secured, for example, through the use of perforations or lines of weakness located between the first end of one bag and the second end of another bag.
- other approaches for removably securing the bags may also be used, such as by applying adhesives, by adding additional material that may be torn after the application of sufficient force, folding together layers of a bottom end of a bag into the top end of the next bag, etc.
- At operation 1208 at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies is exposed.
- the act of folding the bags at operation 1204 may expose at least some portion of at least one inner ply.
- material may be removed from one or more of the two outer plies within one or more of bags within the sheet. An example of this is illustrated in FIG. 11 .
- the material from one or more of the two outer plies within one or more of bags within the sheet may be folded, such as at a corner or free edge, to expose some portion of the inner plies. An example of this is illustrated in FIG. 10 .
- the sheet is configured around a central axis. Doing so may form a bag-on-a-roll that may be easy for customers to use.
- This bag-on-a-roll arrangement may enable customers to pull on an individual bag or the sheet to pull a first bag off of the roll.
- This bag-on-a-roll may be similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 .
- a sheet comprising multiple, like bags may be provided first that are already removably secured together, and the sheet may then be folded. Additional steps may be performed in the method 1200 , and certain steps may be removed.
- the bags may be packed so that the folding described above may be maintained.
- the bags described herein may comprise a plastic material, but other materials such as paper, cloth, or synthetic fiber may be used instead of or alongside the plastic material.
- the material of the bags may comprise a virgin resin material such as polyethylene, HDPE, polypropylene, PLA, or synthetic polymer. This resin material may be disposable resin.
- the material of the bags may alternatively comprise paper material such as kraft paper or paper pulp material.
- the primary material within the bag will preferably comprise materials with a low coefficient of friction such as HDPE, and this may assist in preventing outer and inner plies from locking together when pinched and pulled. However, the bag may also comprise materials with a higher coefficient of friction.
- the bags may contain any ratio from 0-100% of virgin material to recycled content such as post-consumer or post-industrial recycled content.
- the bag material of the invention may consist of a single layer or ply of material or alternately may be multiwall and consist of multiple layers of either the same material or alternately any desired combination of different layer materials.
- Each single layer or ply of material or substrate may consist of a single material or may consist of any combination of one or more materials forming a composite of material types, fillers, and/or coatings forming each layer.
- the bags and material of the bags of the invention may be a combination of one or more of recyclable, compostable, biodegradable, water-resistant, grease-resistant, or water soluble.
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Abstract
Description
- This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/111,268, filed on Nov. 9, 2020, in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- The present invention generally relates to an easy to open bag.
- Bags such as produce bags, trash bags, or other similar bags are often difficult to open. Before being used, the bags are often provided as part of a roll with a large number of bags connected together. For packaging purposes and due to space constraints, the bags are often packed tightly together, and each individual bag may be folded as well. Additionally, some bags include adhesive material to help adhere the folds of an individual bag together, and many users may have difficulty in locating the folds of a bag. For each of these reasons, users may have great difficulty in unfolding bags and then opening the bags.
- Because of the difficulty with opening bags, other consequences frequently occur. Users may grow frustrated and change their mind about purchasing an item after having trouble opening a produce style bag. Further, where users are unable to open bags, they may throw the bags away without ever using the bags.
- The present invention relates to a bag that may be easily opened so that groceries and/or other objects may be placed within the bag. In various embodiments, the bag has locations where a user may pinch and pull the bag material so that the bag may be opened. These locations may be provided at the edges of the bag, where users typically attempt to open a bag. An indication such as text, coloring, or markings may be provided on the bag or on a container holding the bag to inform the user about where the bag should be pinched and pulled in order to easily open the bag. The bags may beneficially be folded when stored and may be implemented into sheets comprising a large number of individual bags that are removably secured together. In this way, a large number of bags can be packed into a small volume, but the bags may still be easily opened even after they have been tightly packed together. The easy to use bag is convenient and causes less frustration for the user. Further, because the bag is easier to open, users are less likely to throw these bags away and attempt to open another bag.
- One aspect of the invention is directed to a bag for the containment items. The bag comprises a first end and a second end and has a generally tubular shape. The first end is configured to remain sealed, the second end is configured to be opened, and the second end defines a recess. The bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end. The bag comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end, and the bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies. At least one inner ply is formed, at least two outer plies are formed, and a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed.
- Another aspect of the invention is directed to a sheet of bags. The sheet of bags comprises at least two bags, with each of the at least two bags having a generally tubular shape. Each of the at least two bags also comprises a first end and a second end, with the first end being configured to remain sealed. The second end of each of the at least two bags defines a recess and is configured to be opened. Each of the at least two bags is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end. Each of the at least two bags comprises a first cross-section at a location between the first end and the second end. Each of the at least two bags is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies. At least one inner ply is formed, at least two outer plies are formed, and a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed. The at least two bags comprises at least a first bag and a second bag, and the first end of the first bag and the second end of the second bag are removably attached to each other. The first bag and the second bag are configured to be separated from each other upon the application of force by a user.
- Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method for opening a bag. The method comprises providing a bag having a generally tubular shape and comprising a first end and a second end. The first end is configured to remain sealed and the second end is configured to be opened. The second end defines a recess, and the bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end. The bag comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end. The bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies, with at least one inner ply being formed, with at least two outer plies being formed. A first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed. The method further comprises pinching the first portion of the at least one inner ply, pinching a second portion on the surface of one or more of the at least two outer plies, and pulling the first portion and the second portion apart to increase the area of the recess defined within the second end of the bag.
- Another aspect of the invention is related to a method for preparing a sheet of bags for the containment in packaging. This method comprises providing at least two bags and folding the at least two bags to form at least three plies, wherein two outer plies and one or more inner plies are formed. The method also comprises exposing at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies and removably securing the at least two bags together to form a sheet comprising multiple bags.
- Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
- The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, wherein:
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FIG. 1A is a top view of an exemplary closed and folded bag of an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 1B is a top view of the bag presented inFIG. 1A where the bag is in the process of being unfolded and opened. -
FIG. 2 is a schematic, perspective view of an exemplary sheet of bags of an embodiment of the present invention, where the sheet is configured around an axis to form a bag-on-a-roll. -
FIG. 3A is a schematic, perspective view of an exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where two inner plies and a tab are provided. -
FIG. 3B is a schematic, cross-sectional view of the bag presented inFIG. 3A where the bag is folded and closed. -
FIG. 3C is a schematic, cross-sectional view of the bag presented inFIG. 3A where the bag is in the process of being unfolded and opened. -
FIG. 3D is a schematic view of a bag where the bag may be further folded to obtain the configuration of the bag presented inFIG. 3A . -
FIG. 4A is a top view of an exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed. -
FIG. 4B is a top view of the bag presented inFIG. 4A where the bag is in the process of being unfolded and opened. -
FIG. 5 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where two inner plies are provided. -
FIG. 6 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where one inner ply is provided. -
FIG. 7 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where two inner plies are provided with a first inner ply that is longer than the other plies. -
FIG. 8 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where two inner plies are provided with a first inner ply that is longer than the other plies and with the first inner ply being further folded. -
FIG. 9 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where two inner plies are provided that are further folded. -
FIG. 10 is schematic, top view of an exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where a corner of an outer ply is further folded. -
FIG. 11 is another schematic, top view of an exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where a section of an outer ply is removed. -
FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for preparing a sheet of bags for the containment in packaging in an embodiment of the present invention. - The following description of the embodiments of the present invention is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. The following description is provided herein solely by way of example for purposes of providing an enabling disclosure of the invention, but does not limit the scope or substance of the invention.
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FIG. 1A is a top view of an exemplary closed and foldedbag 100 of an embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 1B is a top view of the bag ofFIG. 1A where thebag 100 is in the process of being opened. Thebag 100 is provided with afirst end 102 and asecond end 104, and thebag 100 has a generally tubular shape. Thefirst end 102 is configured to remain sealed and thesecond end 104 defines a recess. The shape ofbag 100 may not be entirely tubular because thefirst end 102 may remain sealed, but thebag 100 may maintain a generally tubular shape as other portions of thebag 100 may have a hollow cross section. - The
bag 100 may be a star seal bag, and this star seal may be provided at thefirst end 102 to assist with maintaining a seal. The “star seal” design (a bag having multiple layers and longitudinally folded over on itself and sealed at the bottom so that when it is opened up, the bottom of the bag viewing from the inside resembles a star) offers excellent bottom seal strength with thin gauge films. These bags are strong and may distribute load more evenly in comparison to other types of bags. Further, star seal bags may conform to the shape of another container more easily, making the bags particularly useful for use as trash bags and liners placed within a rigid or semi-rigid container. While a star seal bag will preferably be used, other types of bags may also be used. For example, a flat seal or a gusseted seal may be provided at thefirst end 102 to seal thebag 100. Grocery produce bags of this star seal type are somewhat easier to open than the traditional roll produce bags. Openability of this star seal type bag is improved due to the increased number of layers of film at the bag mouth. - As shown in
FIG. 1A , the recess defined at thesecond end 104 is closed so that a user may not insert items into thebag 100 through the recess. Thus, thebag 100 is generally closed inFIG. 1A . This may occur so that contamination may be prevented inside of thebag 100, and this closed state may also occur so that thebag 100 may be tightly packed with other bags when stored or shipped and to facilitate ease of dispensing. - The
first end 102 of a bag may be removably secured to other bags at theedge 110. For example, perforations may be provided atedge 110, and two bags may be separated from each other by tearing the perforations at theedge 110. However, other approaches for removably securing the bags may also be used, such as by applying adhesives, by adding additional material that may be torn after the application of sufficient force, folding together layers of a bottom end of a bag into the top end of the next bag, etc. - As demonstrated in
FIG. 1B , thebag 100 is configured to be opened at thesecond end 104 so that the recess defined at thesecond end 104 enlarges in area. Once opened, thebag 100 is configured to receive one or more objects through the recess defined within thesecond end 104. - As shown in
FIG. 1A , thebag 100 is folded so that thebag 100 maintains generally the same cross section along a first direction running from the first end to the second end. However, the shape of the cross section may vary at certain positions along the first direction in some embodiments. For example, where a star seal bag is used, the cross section at thefirst end 102 may be different than the cross section at other locations. Thebag 100 may be folded so that three or more plies are provided. Of these three or more plies, at least oneinner ply 108 is formed and twoouter plies 106 are formed. While theouter plies 106 cover up most of the surface area for theinner plies 108, a first portion of the at least oneinner plies 108 is left exposed. Thus, thebag 100 is configured to allow a user to pinch or grasp and pull the bag at the exposed first portion of the at least oneinner plies 108 while also pinching and pulling a second portion of thebag 100 at the external surface on one or more of theouter plies 106 in an opposite direction. - As shown in
FIG. 1B , the first portion may be pinched and pulled to the left while the second portion may be pinched and pulled to the right. By doing so, theouter plies 106 may begin to shift as illustrated inFIG. 1B , causing the recess defined within thesecond end 104 to increase in area. In this way, a user may finish opening the bag at the one or moreinner plies 108 with ease by pulling afirst point 107 near thesecond end 104 and asecond point 109 near thesecond end 104. This pinching and pulling may be performed simply using one's fingers. Alternatively, a portion of thebag 100 may be removably fixed or held in place either by a user pinching or in another manner such as mechanical means to provide a neutral or counter force to a portion ofbag 100 while the user may pinch and pull only one of either of the at least oneinner plies 108 or a second portion ofbag 100 to open the recess onsecond end 104. -
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of anexemplary sheet 250 consisting of a plurality ofindividual bags 200 that are identical or nearly identical. In the illustrated embodiment, thesheet 250 is packed tightly into a roll, andindividual bags 200 may be removed from other bags in thesheet 250 by pulling an accessible end of thesheet 250 away from the roll and tearing or pulling anindividual bag 200 from thesheet 250. Similar to thebag 100 presented inFIGS. 1A and 1B , theindividual bags 200 may each comprise afirst end 202 and asecond end individual bags 200 may also comprise anedge 210 with perforations, and thebags 200 may also define one ormore recesses second end 204. As onebag 200 is being removed from the remainder of thesheet 250, therecess 212′ on the next bag is configured to come into contact with a projection or protrusion such as a prong, and, by pulling thebag 200, the projection may exert a force that causes the perforations to be torn and causes thebag 200 to be removed from the remainder of thesheet 250. - While the sheets may be packed and stored with the bags formed into a bag-on-a-roll, the sheets may also be packed in other manners as well. For example, the sheet may be folded so that parallel layers are formed. In some embodiments, the bags are not removably secured to form sheets, and the individual bags may be packed together as a group into parallel layers as well.
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FIG. 3A is a schematic perspective view of anexemplary bag 300 of an embodiment of the present invention. This figure is exaggerated to show the various plies that are formed when thebag 300 is folded. Thebag 300 comprises twoouter plies 314 and twoinner plies 316. The inner plies 316 extend a greater length than the outer plies 314 (in the x-direction here) so that afirst portion 320 on the external surfaces of theinner plies 316 remain exposed. Thisadditional length 319 is shown inFIGS. 3B & 3C , and thefirst portion 320 is provided on theadditional length 319. - The
bag 300 has anadditional tab 322. Thus, to open thebag 300, a user may pinch and pull an exposedfirst portion 320 at one or more of theinner plies 316 and the user may also pinch and pull thetab 322 in the opposite direction. By using thistab 322, thebag 300 may provide the user with a distinctly evident location where they are supposed to pinch thebag 300 so that thebag 300 may be opened. The location of thetab 322 allows for thebag 300 to be efficiently opened because pinching and pulling thetab 322 will cause both of theouter plies 314 to be unfolded simultaneously and in parallel, enhancing the ease of opening thebag 300. However, in other embodiments, thetab 322 may be positioned elsewhere on thebag 300 as desired to improve the bag opening function. Thetab 322 may be an additional material that is added or affixed to thebag 300 so that thebag 300 may be easily opened, or thetab 322 may not be made of an additional material and may instead be created by folding thebag 300 to provide thetab 322. In some embodiments,tab 322 may be created by configuring a piece of material ofbag 300, such as from a die-cut flap, vent, or aperture inbag 300. - A person may pinch the
first portion 320 with one hand, pinch a second portion 318 (FIG. 3B ) on the surface of thetab 322 with another hand, and pull thefirst portion 320 and thesecond portion 318 apart to increase the area of the recess defined within thesecond end 304 of thebag 300. However, other devices may be used to assist in opening thebag 300. - In some embodiments, the
bag 300 may be marked or the user may be instructed to pinch and pull thetab 322 so that thebag 300 may be opened. In some embodiments, instructions or indications may be printed on thebag 300 to show the user where thebag 300 should preferably be pinched and pulled. These instructions or indications may be provided through the use of coloring, text, images, etc. In some embodiments thefirst portion 320 and/or thesecond portion 318 may have a textured consistency different from the rest of thebag 300 material to aid in viewing the pinching area and in pinching or grasping thebag 300. Thefirst portion 320 andsecond portion 318 may have a higher coefficient of friction than the other areas on thebag 300 in some embodiments, which may assist with pinching or grasping thebag 300. -
FIG. 3B is schematic, cross-sectional view of thebag 300 presented inFIG. 3A . The inner plies 316 comprise anadditional length 319 that extends past the full length of theouter plies 314, and thefirst portion 320 of theinner ply 316 may be provided at thisadditional length 319.FIG. 3B also allows thetab 322 and thesecond portion 318 on that tab to be more easily seen. Thesecond portion 318 may be positioned anywhere on thetab 322, and thebag 300 may still be opened even when other pinch locations are used. -
FIG. 3C is a schematic, cross-sectional view of thebag 300 presented inFIG. 3A where thebag 300 is in the process of being unfolded and opened. By pinching and pulling an exposedfirst portion 320 on the external surface of theinner plies 316 while also pinching and pulling asecond portion 318 on thetab 322, the recess ofsecond end 304 is increased becoming 304′ andbag 300 may be easily opened.FIG. 3B shows thisbag 300 when it is in a state to be opened. After thebag 300 has been partially opened as shown inFIG. 3C , a user may fully open thebag 300 with ease. For example, the user may pull thefirst point 307 and thesecond point 309 at thesecond end 304 shown inFIG. 3C to fully open thebag 300 and unfold the inner plies 316. -
FIG. 3D is a schematic, cross-sectional view of anexemplary bag 300′, which may be further folded to obtain thebag 300 ofFIG. 3A . Thebag 300′ comprises twoouter plies 314 and twoinner plies 316 as well as atab 322. Thebag 300′ may be generally folded alongline 323, shifting the plies on the left in a counterclockwise direction and/or shifting the plies on the right in a clockwise direction so thatinner plies 316 may be positioned adjacent to each other. Once folded, thebag 300 may be provided and thebag 300 may eventually be opened using thesecond portion 318 attab 322 and thefirst portion 320 at one or more of theadditional lengths 319. -
FIG. 4A is a top view of anexemplary bag 400 of an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 4B is a top view of thebag 400 presented inFIG. 4A where thebag 400 is in the process of being unfolded and opened. This embodiment comprises a cross section similar to the cross section of thebag 300 presented inFIG. 3B , but thetabs 420 comprise additional material that is added at the free edge of an upper ply and at the free edge of a lower ply. Thetabs 420 may be pinched and pulled in opposite directions to open the bag. In this embodiment, thetabs 420 comprise a different material than the material of other portions of thebag 400, and thetabs 420 are colored differently than the other portions of the bag. By providingtabs 420 with these characteristics, thetabs 420 may be more noticeable to a user so that a user will be more likely to pinch at thetabs 420. Providingtabs 420 with a different material may also be beneficial because the tabs may comprise a material with a higher coefficient of friction than the remainder of the bag, making it easier for users to pull on the tabs and allowing the material in the remainder of the bag to be more easily opened. Having a lower coefficient of friction for most of the bag may be beneficial so that the bag material may easily slide without excess friction. Thebag 400 may also be folded first and the tabs may be added after the folding has been performed—by doing this, thebag 400 may generally maintain an improved balance and symmetry during the folding process, allowing a folding machine to generate the folding arrangement shown with increased reliability. -
FIG. 5 is a schematic, cross sectional view of abag 500. This bag has twoouter plies 514 and twoinner plies 516. The inner plies 516 comprise anadditional length 519 that extends past the full length of theouter plies 514, and thefirst portion 520 may be provided at one or more of theseadditional lengths 519. Thebag 500 may be opened by pinching and pulling an exposedfirst portion 520 while also pinching and pulling one or more exposedsecond portions 518 of the outer plies 514. -
FIG. 6 is a schematic, cross sectional view of abag 600. This bag has twoouter plies 614 and only oneinner ply 616. Thisinner ply 616 comprises anadditional length 619 that extends past the full length of theouter plies 614, and thefirst portion 620 may be provided at thisadditional length 619. Thebag 600 may be opened by pinching and pulling an exposedfirst portion 620 of theinner ply 616 while also pinching and pulling one or more exposedsecond portions 618 of the outer plies 614. -
FIG. 7 is another schematic, cross-sectional view of anexemplary bag 700 of an embodiment of the present invention. Thisbag 700 operates similar to thebag 500 presented inFIG. 5 , with twoouter plies 714, and twoinner plies bag 700 presented inFIG. 7 , a firstinner ply 716 is provided that comprises anexcess length 719 that extends past the full length of a secondinner ply 717. The secondinner ply 717 comprises the same length as theouter plies 714, but these lengths may be modified in other embodiments. Thisbag 700 is configured so that a user may pinch and pull an exposedfirst portion 720 on the firstinner ply 716 while also pinching and pulling one or more exposedsecond portions 718 on the external surface of one or more of the outer plies 714. -
FIG. 8 is another schematic, cross-sectional view of anexemplary bag 800 of an embodiment of the present invention. Thisbag 800 operates similar to thebag 700 presented inFIG. 7 in some respects. However, theexcess length 819 of the firstinner ply 816 is even longer than theexcess length 719 of the firstinner ply 716 inFIG. 7 . Theexcess length 819 of the firstinner ply 816 is further folded. In this way, thebag 800 may be packed more tightly while still allowing thebag 800 to be easily opened. In this embodiment, a user may pinch and pull afirst portion 820 located at theexcess length 819 of the firstinner ply 816 while also pinching and pulling one or moresecond portions 818 at an external face of one or more of theouter plies 814 in order to open the bag. By folding theexcess length 819 of the firstinner ply 816, thebag 800 may generally maintain an improved balance and symmetry, allowing a folding machine to generate the folding arrangement with increased reliability. -
FIG. 9 is another schematic, cross-sectional view of anexemplary bag 900 of an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, twoouter plies 914 and twoinner plies 916 are provided, and both of theinner plies 916 comprise anadditional length 919 that extends past the full length of the outer plies 914. Further, theadditional lengths 919 for each of the twoinner plies 916 is folded. In this way, thebag 900 may be packed more tightly while still allowing thebag 900 to be easily opened. By folding theadditional lengths 919, thebag 900 may generally maintain an improved balance and symmetry, allowing a folding machine to generate the folding arrangement with increased reliability. Thebag 900 may be opened similar tobag 800 described above. -
FIG. 10 is schematic, top view of anexemplary bag 1000 of an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, twoouter plies 1014 are provided, and at least oneinner ply 1016 is provided. Theouter plies 1014 may generally possess the same length as theinner plies 1016. However, acorner 1024 at thefree edge 1015 of theouter plies 1014 may be folded so that afirst portion 1020 of theinner plies 1016 may be exposed. Thus, a user may open and unfold thebag 1000 by pinching and pulling at thefirst portion 1020 and at thesecond portion 1018, which is located on the external surface of one of the outer plies 1014. While a fold is made at thecorner 1024 in this embodiment, a fold may also be made at other locations, such as at thefree edge 1015. Thebag 1000 may generally maintain a symmetrical shape and balance when produced by a folding machine—a folding machine may fold thebag 1000 to create the folding arrangement shown, folding thecorner 1024 as the last step. Because of this ability to maintain balance, the folding machine may generate the folding arrangement with increased reliability. -
FIG. 11 is another schematic, top view of anexemplary bag 1100 of an embodiment of the present invention. Thebag 1100 comprises twoouter plies 1114 and at least oneinner ply 1116, and each of these outer and inner plies possess generally the same length. A section of at least one of theouter plies 1114 is removed so that a recess is defined proximate to thefree edge 1115 of the outer plies 1114. This recess allows afirst portion 1120 of the surface at theinner ply 1116 to be exposed. Thebag 1100 may then be opened similarly to the previous embodiments, using thefirst portion 1120 and thesecond portion 1118. Thebag 1100 may generally maintain balance when the folding arrangement shown is produced by a folding machine, allowing a folding machine to generate the folding arrangement with increased reliability. -
FIG. 12 provides amethod 1200 for preparing a sheet of bags for the containment in packaging. Atoperation 1202 of themethod 1200, a plurality of bags is provided, and the plurality of bags may comprise at least two, like bags. The plurality of bags may be provided in the form of a sheet. Then, atoperation 1204, each bag or the sheet is folded to form at least three plies so that two outer plies and one or more inner plies are formed. For example, the bags may be folded similarly to any of the arrangements described above, such as inFIGS. 3A-3D and the corresponding text. - At
operation 1206, the sheet or the plurality of bags having at least two bags are rendered to be removably secured together. In this way, the bags are configured so that the user may quickly and easily remove an individual bag from the remainder of the sheet. The bags may be removably secured, for example, through the use of perforations or lines of weakness located between the first end of one bag and the second end of another bag. However, other approaches for removably securing the bags may also be used, such as by applying adhesives, by adding additional material that may be torn after the application of sufficient force, folding together layers of a bottom end of a bag into the top end of the next bag, etc. - At
operation 1208, at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies is exposed. In some embodiments, the act of folding the bags atoperation 1204 may expose at least some portion of at least one inner ply. However, in other embodiments, material may be removed from one or more of the two outer plies within one or more of bags within the sheet. An example of this is illustrated inFIG. 11 . Alternatively, the material from one or more of the two outer plies within one or more of bags within the sheet may be folded, such as at a corner or free edge, to expose some portion of the inner plies. An example of this is illustrated inFIG. 10 . - At
operation 1210, the sheet is configured around a central axis. Doing so may form a bag-on-a-roll that may be easy for customers to use. This bag-on-a-roll arrangement may enable customers to pull on an individual bag or the sheet to pull a first bag off of the roll. This bag-on-a-roll may be similar to the embodiment shown inFIG. 2 . - The operations described above in reference to
FIG. 12 may be performed in any order unless otherwise specified. For example, a sheet comprising multiple, like bags may be provided first that are already removably secured together, and the sheet may then be folded. Additional steps may be performed in themethod 1200, and certain steps may be removed. - The bags may be packed so that the folding described above may be maintained. The bags described herein may comprise a plastic material, but other materials such as paper, cloth, or synthetic fiber may be used instead of or alongside the plastic material. The material of the bags may comprise a virgin resin material such as polyethylene, HDPE, polypropylene, PLA, or synthetic polymer. This resin material may be disposable resin. The material of the bags may alternatively comprise paper material such as kraft paper or paper pulp material. The primary material within the bag will preferably comprise materials with a low coefficient of friction such as HDPE, and this may assist in preventing outer and inner plies from locking together when pinched and pulled. However, the bag may also comprise materials with a higher coefficient of friction. Materials with a higher coefficient of friction may be used at certain areas, such as at a first portion and a second portion where a customer may pinch and pull the bag. The bags may contain any ratio from 0-100% of virgin material to recycled content such as post-consumer or post-industrial recycled content. The bag material of the invention may consist of a single layer or ply of material or alternately may be multiwall and consist of multiple layers of either the same material or alternately any desired combination of different layer materials. Each single layer or ply of material or substrate may consist of a single material or may consist of any combination of one or more materials forming a composite of material types, fillers, and/or coatings forming each layer. The bags and material of the bags of the invention may be a combination of one or more of recyclable, compostable, biodegradable, water-resistant, grease-resistant, or water soluble.
- It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. This specification is not intended to be exhaustive. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described, as well as many variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements. The claimed subject matter includes any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof, unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. In particular, the limitations presented in dependent claims below can be combined with their corresponding independent claims in any number and in any order without departing from the scope of this disclosure, unless the dependent claims are logically incompatible with each other.
Claims (20)
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US17/521,241 US20220144494A1 (en) | 2020-11-09 | 2021-11-08 | Easy to open bag and a method for making the same |
PCT/US2021/058542 WO2022099170A1 (en) | 2020-11-09 | 2021-11-09 | Easy to open bag and a method for making the same |
CA3198093A CA3198093A1 (en) | 2020-11-09 | 2021-11-09 | Easy to open bag and a method for making the same |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US202063111268P | 2020-11-09 | 2020-11-09 | |
US17/521,241 US20220144494A1 (en) | 2020-11-09 | 2021-11-08 | Easy to open bag and a method for making the same |
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US20220144494A1 true US20220144494A1 (en) | 2022-05-12 |
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US17/521,241 Pending US20220144494A1 (en) | 2020-11-09 | 2021-11-08 | Easy to open bag and a method for making the same |
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US (1) | US20220144494A1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA3198093A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2022099170A1 (en) |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2002049928A2 (en) * | 2000-12-18 | 2002-06-27 | Bell Kim N I | Method of opening for bags of supple polymeric material subject to interlayer cling |
WO2003010056A1 (en) * | 2001-07-20 | 2003-02-06 | Norfolier As | Flattening and gusseting deviced, method and bag |
US20040007607A1 (en) * | 2002-07-12 | 2004-01-15 | Daniels Mark E. | Roll mounted bags and dispensers for same |
KR20080110339A (en) * | 2007-06-15 | 2008-12-18 | 주식회사 대구백화점 | Roll bag |
Family Cites Families (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB9222933D0 (en) * | 1991-11-04 | 1992-12-16 | Greyvenstein Lourence C J | Refuse bags |
US5709641A (en) * | 1996-03-26 | 1998-01-20 | Tenneco Packaging Inc. | Thermoplastic bag structure |
US5921390A (en) * | 1997-04-11 | 1999-07-13 | Simhaee; Ebrahim | Continuous roll of plastic bags |
AUPR886901A0 (en) * | 2001-11-14 | 2001-12-06 | International Consolidated Business Pty Ltd | Bags |
DE202005003253U1 (en) * | 2005-02-25 | 2005-05-12 | Pely-Plastic Gmbh & Co. Kg | bag chain |
US20080063317A1 (en) * | 2006-09-05 | 2008-03-13 | Tracy Productions, Llc | Plastic bag roll |
-
2021
- 2021-11-08 US US17/521,241 patent/US20220144494A1/en active Pending
- 2021-11-09 CA CA3198093A patent/CA3198093A1/en active Pending
- 2021-11-09 WO PCT/US2021/058542 patent/WO2022099170A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2002049928A2 (en) * | 2000-12-18 | 2002-06-27 | Bell Kim N I | Method of opening for bags of supple polymeric material subject to interlayer cling |
WO2003010056A1 (en) * | 2001-07-20 | 2003-02-06 | Norfolier As | Flattening and gusseting deviced, method and bag |
US20040007607A1 (en) * | 2002-07-12 | 2004-01-15 | Daniels Mark E. | Roll mounted bags and dispensers for same |
KR20080110339A (en) * | 2007-06-15 | 2008-12-18 | 주식회사 대구백화점 | Roll bag |
Also Published As
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WO2022099170A1 (en) | 2022-05-12 |
CA3198093A1 (en) | 2022-05-12 |
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