US20220371783A1

US20220371783A1 - Resealable Snack Bag

Info

Publication number: US20220371783A1
Application number: US17/578,662
Authority: US
Inventors: Doretta Hale
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-05-21
Filing date: 2022-01-19
Publication date: 2022-11-24

Abstract

The present invention relates to a novel resealable snack bag for preventing food items from becoming stale. The snack bag includes a collapsible body that includes a first interior surface and a second interior surface opposing the first interior surface. The snack bag includes a top end, at least one closure mechanism for sealing a portion of the bag, the at least one closure mechanism including a male sealing strip and a female sealing strip wherein the male sealing strip and the female sealing strip are configured to interlock to each other. The empty top end or top portion of the snack bag can be trimmed or cut off by a user to reduce the size of the bag when the contents of the bag have been reduced, and at least a second closure mechanism can then be utilized to seal the bag.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/191,623, which was filed on May 21, 2021 and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of snack bags for storing snacks and other food items. More specifically, the present invention relates to a novel resealable snack bag that protects stored snacks from becoming stale. The snack bag features two mating resealable strips located inside and one-third to halfway down the bag enabling a user to interlock the resealable strips to seal the stored food items. The user can also trim off the empty top of the bag once food is consumed and reseal the bag via the resealable strips to keep the remaining food item fresh and edible. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices, and methods of manufacture.

BACKGROUND

By way of background, chips, pretzels, and other similar ready to eat snacks and food items come in snack bags. It is often a case where individuals do not finish eating through the entire snack bag and thus a quantity of the snacks is left in the snack bag. The snack bag with remaining snacks or food items is secured and sealed by wrapping the snack bag or tying a knot to protect the snacks from becoming soiled and contaminated. These conventional methods are not effective in keeping the remaining food items fresh and crisp as air and moisture can enter into the snack bag.
Some individuals use aftermarket clips across the snack bag to keep the food items fresh and crisp, although, the clips are relatively more effective than the conventional methods but the food items can still get stale and inedible quickly. Further, the external clips reduce the aesthetic appeal and branding of the snack bag. Individuals desire a way such as a modified snack bag or a novel snack bag securing system that can keep remaining snacks in a snack bag fresh, crisp, and safe.
Therefore, there exists a long felt need in the art for a modified snack bag that is capable of being sealed to maintain freshness of remaining snacks. There is also a long felt need in the art for a snack bag sealing mechanism that enables users to save chips, pretzels, and other snacks for later without having to apply external bag clips. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a snack bag that prevents remaining food items from becoming stale after a certain quantity of food items is consumed from the snack bag. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a snack bag closing mechanism that maintains the aesthetic appearance of the snack bag from exterior. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for a snack bag that occupies less space when sealed after a certain quantity of snacks is consumed from the bag. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for a snack bag or the bag's sealing mechanism that prevents remaining food items from becoming stale while in the bag and keeps the remaining food item(s) fresh and edible.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a preserving snack bag for maintaining freshness of snacks stored therein. The snack bag further comprising multiple pairs of mating resealable strips with at least one pair of resealable strips located one-third to halfway down from the top of the bag and positioned inside the bag to seal a portion of the bag below the resealable strips. The resealable strips can be positioned at the same height on opposing interior surfaces of the bag wherein one strip includes a channel and the other strip includes a protrusion, the channel accommodates or mates with the protrusion when a user runs their finger or thumb on an exterior surface of the snack bag along the length of the resealable strips to interlock or mate the resealable strips. Multiple pairs of strips enable users to trim off the empty top portion of the bag and utilize at least a second pair of strips to seal the bag for preventing remaining food items from becoming stale.
In this manner, the preserving snack bag of the present invention accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives and provides users with a modified snack bag capable of being sealed to maintain freshness of stored snacks and food items without having to apply an external bag clip. The bag can be purchased by a consumer, food can be eaten, and the resealable strips can be utilized to reseal the bag once a desired amount of food is consumed. The bag is useful for saving space due to smaller bag sizes once sealed. Resealable strips are on the inside of the bag on both sides thus do not reduce aesthetic appeal of the snack bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a preserving snack bag for maintaining freshness of snacks stored therein. The snack bag further comprising a collapsible body, the body having an exterior surface and an interior surface, the interior surface includes a first interior surface and a second interior surface opposing the first interior surface, a top end forming a continuous opening to access snacks stored in the bag, closure mechanisms for sealing a portion(s) of the bag, the closure mechanisms include a male sealing strip having a protrusion along the length of the male sealing strip, a female sealing strip having a groove or channel along the length of the female sealing strip wherein the male sealing strip and the female sealing strip are configured to interlock to each other to seal the portion of the bag extending from the strip to the base of the bag thereby maintaining freshness of the stored snacks.
In yet another embodiment, the sealing strips extend between two corners of the snack bag and can be positioned at the same height inside the snack bag.
In yet another embodiment, the male sealing strip is positioned on the first interior surface and the female sealing strip is positioned on the second interior surface.
In yet another embodiment, the sealing strips are positioned at multiple positions along the length of the bag, for example, at the top end position and at a generally mid-point position to seal off the bag once a certain amount of food is consumed from the bag.
In yet another embodiment, the sealing strips are releasably sealed to each other using an adhesive coating positioned on both the resealable strips.
In yet another embodiment, the sealing strips include a zip lock seal mechanism for releasably sealing the bag.
In yet another embodiment, the empty top end or section can be trimmed off and then a second pair of resealable strips can be utilized for sealing the bag.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a resealable snack bag capable of being sealed at various positions to maintain freshness of chips, pretzels, and other snacks is disclosed. The snack bag includes at least two pairs of releasably sealed sealing strips wherein a first pair of releasably sealed sealing strips are positioned above a second pair of releasably sealed sealing strips, each pair of the sealing strips are configured to seal the respective portion of the snack bag below the pair of sealing strips to maintain freshness of the snacks stored in the bag. Each pair includes a first sealing strip and a corresponding second sealing strip wherein the first sealing strip and the second sealing strip can be interlocked to each other for sealing the area below the respective resealable strips.
In yet another embodiment, the first pair of releasably sealed sealing strips is positioned inside the snack bag and at one-fourth distance from the top end of the bag wherein the distance is the total height of the snack bag measuring from the top end to the bottom end of the bag.
In yet another embodiment, a second pair of releasably sealed sealing strips is positioned inside the snack bag and at a generally centered distance between top end and the bottom end of the bag.
In yet another embodiment, the empty bag portion on top of both the first pair and the second pair can be sequentially trimmed off to reduce storage space of the snack bag.
Numerous benefits and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains upon reading and understanding of the following detailed specification.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of a resealable snack bag of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view showing a top end section of the snack bag being trimmed or cut from the remaining bag portion with a pair of scissors and utilizing a second pair of sealing strips placed inside the bag in accordance with the disclosed architecture; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a resealable snack bag of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there exists a long felt need in the art for a modified snack bag that is capable of being sealed to maintain freshness of remaining snacks. There is also a long felt need in the art for a snack bag sealing mechanism that enables users to save chips, pretzels, and other snacks for later without having to apply external bag clips. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a snack bag that prevents remaining food items from becoming stale after a certain quantity of food items is consumed from the snack bag. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a snack bag closing mechanism that maintains the aesthetic appearance of the snack bag. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for a snack bag that occupies less space when sealed after a certain quantity of snacks is consumed from the bag. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for a snack bag and the bag's sealing mechanism that prevents remaining food items from becoming stale while in the bag and keeps the remaining food item(s) fresh and edible.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is a novel snack preserving bag for maintaining freshness of snacks stored therein. The snack bag includes a collapsible body, the body having an exterior surface and an interior area, the interior area includes a first interior surface and a second interior surface opposing the first interior surface. Closure mechanisms are disposed for sealing a portions of the bag, the closure mechanisms include a male sealing strip having a protrusion along the length of the male sealing strip, a female sealing strip having a groove or channel along the length of the female sealing strip wherein the male sealing strip and the female sealing strip are configured to interlock to each other to seal portions of the bag extending from the sealing strips to the base of the bag thereby maintaining freshness of the stored snacks.
Referring initially to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of a resealable snack bag 100 of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. The resealable snack bag 100 of the present invention is designed to be sealed substantially airtight to maintain freshness of remaining food items stored in the snack bag 100 after a quantity of food items is consumed. The snack bag 100 can be sealed each time after consuming snacks or food items. More specifically, the bag 100 is collapsible and features an exterior surface 102 that may have any branding, ingredients, product descriptions, logos, et. al. 104 printed thereon. The bag 100 includes a top end portion 106 and a bottom end portion 107. The top end portion 106 can be trimmed off for creating a continuous opening 108 for accessing the snacks stored in the snack bag 100.
The bag 100 includes a closure mechanism 110 that includes a first sealing strip 112 on a first interior surface 114 and a second sealing strip 116 on a second interior surface 118. The first sealing strip 112 and the second sealing strip 116 extend from the first corner or first side edge 120 to the second corner or second side edge 122. The first sealing strip 112 and second sealing strip 116 are configured to seal with each other to close the interior space of the bag 100 for keeping the stored snacks fresh and crisp. In the present embodiment, the sealing strips 112,116, including additional pairs of sealing strips, can be positioned one-third and/or one-half down the length of the bag from the top end 106 between the top end 106 and the bottom end 107, such that a reduced quantity of snacks in the bag 100 can be easily sealed and stored by the closure mechanism 110.
The first sealing strip 112 and the second sealing strip 116 can releasably interlock with each other and provide an airtight seal for keeping the snacks fresh that are stored therein. The resealable strips 112,116 provide a complete storage system within which food or snack items are stored. In the present embodiment, the first sealing strip 112 can be a male strip and the second sealing strip 116 can be a female strip. The female strip 116 can have a groove, channel, or track 1160 along the length into which protrusions 1120 of the male strip 112 lock to interlock the resealable strips 112,116 and seal the interior space. In use, a user can run a finger or thumb on the exterior surface 102 of the bag 100 along the outline of the resealable strips 112,116 to interlock or clasp the resealable strips 112,116. For separating the resealable strips 112,116, the user can pull apart the resealable strips 112,116 from the top end 106 by pulling opposing sides of the bag 100 to access the stored snacks 124.
It should be noted that the sealing strips 112,116 are not visible from the exterior of the bag and are positioned in such a way that the top end 106 of the snack bag 100 can be torn off or cut off to reduce the length of the bag 100 without affecting the utility and efficacy of the closure mechanism 110 formed by the sealing strips 112,116. The sealing strips 112,116 enable even a very small quantity of the snacks 124 to be sealed while maintaining their freshness and crispness.
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view showing the top end section 106 of the snack bag 100 being cut or trimmed with the sealing strips 112,116 placed inside the bag 100 in accordance with the disclosed architecture. The sealing strips 112,116 can be positioned in a novel way about one-third of the length downward from the top section as measured between the top section 106 and the bottom section 107. Alternatively, or in conjunction therewith, the sealing strips 112,116 can be positioned in a novel way about one-half of the length downward from the top section as measured between the top section 106 and the bottom section 107. This enables a user to consume snacks and then seal the remaining snacks 124 using the sealing strips 112,116. Once a considerable quantity of the snacks is consumed by a user, it is desirable to reduce the size of the bag 100 in order to save storage space. The top section 106 can be cut or trimmed so that the bag 100 can have a pseudo top section 106′ which is positioned just above the sealing strips 112,116. This not only reduces the length of the snack bag 100 but also enables the user to maintain freshness and crispness of the remaining food items 124 in the snack bag 100.
The snack bag 100 can have a marking line 204 on the exterior surface 102 along which the pseudo top section 106′ is formed such that a user can easily trim the top section 106 using scissors 202 or even with hands. It should be understood that the top section 106 can be trimmed off at any height positioned above the marking line 204.
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of the resealable snack bag of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. In the present embodiment, the snack bag 300 includes two pairs of sealing strips 302, 304, 306, 308 inside the bag 300 with each pair positioned at different heights enabling a user to seal the snack bag 300 at various heights depending on the quantity of the snacks remaining in the snack bag 300. The present embodiment is especially useful for the snack bags that are longer in height such as family size which has 500 grams of snacks, for example in the bag. In such cases, it has been observed that the remaining snacks generally become stale, and individuals are reluctant to eat them also because of large size of the snack bag.
Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the snack bag 300 includes a first pair of sealing strips 302, 304 positioned at one-fourth distance from the top end, wherein the distance is the total height of the snack bag 300 measuring from the top end 310 to the bottom end 312. This enables a user to seal the bag 300 when a small quantity of snacks has been consumed (i.e. a majority of original content volume remain in the bag).
Similarly, the bag 300 includes a second pair of sealing strips 306, 308 positioned at generally the middle of the bag between the top end 310 and the bottom end 312 enabling a user to seal the bag 300 when a relatively small quantity of snacks remains (i.e. a minority of original content volume) in the bag 300. This also enables a user to trim or cut off approximately the top 50% (i.e. the top half) of the snack bag 300 thereby enabling the user to save storage space for the snack bag 300.
The sealing strips 302, 304 of the first pair and the sealing strips 306, 308 of the second pair are configured to interlock in a similar manner as described in FIG. 1. Alternatively, one or both the pairs of the sealing strips can have an adhesive that enables the corresponding strips to separably seal to each other. In such a case, the groove and protrusion are not used for sealing the resealable strips to each other. In another embodiment, the sealing strips 302, 304 and/or sealing strips 306,208 can have a zip lock seal. The alternative mechanisms of sealing can also be used in all other embodiments of the snack bags disclosed in the present disclosure.
The bags 100, 300 can be used by a snack manufacturer for storing chips, pretzels, and numerous other different types of snack foods. The bags 100, 300 can be purchased by a consumer, food can be eaten, and the resealable strips can be utilized to reseal the bag once a desired amount of food is consumed. Therefore, food is kept fresh and crisp without the need for external clips.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “preserving snack bag”, “snack bag”, “resealable snack bag”, and “bag”, are interchangeable and refer to the resealable snack bag 100, 300 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the forgoing, the resealable snack bag 100, 300 of the present invention can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the size, configuration, and material of resealable snack bag 100, 300 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the resealable snack bag 100, 300 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the resealable snack bag 100, 300 are important design parameters for user convenience, the resealable snack bag 100, 300 may be of any size that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A resealable snack bag for storing snacks, the resealable snack bag comprising:

a top end section;

a bottom end section, wherein said top end section is collapsible towards said bottom end section;

a first closure mechanism comprising a first sealing strip on a first interior surface and a second sealing strip on a second interior surface, wherein said first sealing strip is aligned and opposed with said second sealing strip, and further wherein said first sealing strip and said second sealing strip extend from a first interior corner of said resealable snack bag to a second interior corner of said resealable snack bag;

a second closure mechanism including a third sealing strip on a first interior surface and a fourth sealing strip on a second interior surface, wherein said third sealing strip is aligned and opposed with said fourth sealing strip, wherein said third sealing strip and said fourth sealing strip extend from a first interior corner of said resealable snack bag to a second interior corner of said resealable snack bag, and further wherein said first closure mechanism is selectively removable from said resealable snack bag when the snacks in said resealable snack bag are reduced.

2. The resealable snack bag of claim 1, wherein said second closure mechanism is selectively engaged after said first closure mechanism is removed from said resealable snack bag.

3. The resealable snack bag of claim 2, wherein said first sealing strip includes a protrusion and said second sealing strip includes a channel, wherein said protrusion of said first sealing strip is sealable with said channel of said second sealing strip to form an air-tight seal therebetween.

4. The resealable snack bag of claim 3, wherein said first sealing strip and said second sealing strip are sealable with finger pressure on an exterior surface of said resealable snack bag along outlines of said first sealing strip and said second sealing strip.

5. The resealable snack bag of claim 4, wherein said second closure mechanism generally positioned at a midpoint of a length of said resealable snack bag.

6. The resealable snack bag of claim 5, wherein said first closure mechanism is positioned above said second closure mechanism.

7. The resealable snack bag of claim 6, wherein said third sealing strip includes a protrusion and said fourth sealing strip includes a channel, wherein said protrusion of said third sealing strip is sealable with said channel of said fourth sealing strip to form an air-tight seal therebetween.

8. The resealable snack bag of claim 7, wherein said third sealing strip and said fourth sealing strip are sealable with finger pressure on said exterior surface of said resealable snack bag along outlines of said third sealing strip and said fourth sealing strip.

9. A resealable snack bag for storing snacks, the resealable snack bag comprising:

a top end section;

a protrusion on said first sealing strip;

a channel on said second sealing strip, wherein said protrusion of said first sealing strip is sealable with said channel of said second sealing strip to form an air-tight seal therebetween, and further wherein said first sealing strip and said second sealing strip are sealable with finger pressure on an exterior surface of said resealable snack bag along outlines of said first sealing strip and said second sealing strip.

10. The resealable snack bag of claim 9 further comprising a second closure mechanism having a third sealing strip on the first interior surface and a fourth sealing strip on the second interior surface, wherein said third sealing strip is aligned and opposed with said fourth sealing strip, and further wherein said third sealing strip and said fourth sealing strip extend from a first interior corner of said resealable snack bag to a second interior corner of said resealable snack bag,

11. The resealable snack bag of claim 10, wherein said first closure mechanism is selectively removable from said resealable snack bag when the snacks contained in said resealable snack bag are reduced.

12. The resealable snack bag of claim 11, wherein said second closure mechanism is selectively engaged after said first closure mechanism is removed from said resealable snack bag.

13. The resealable snack bag of claim 12, wherein said second closure mechanism is generally positioned at a midpoint of a length of said resealable snack bag.

14. The resealable snack bag of claim 13, wherein said first closure mechanism is positioned above said second closure mechanism.

15. The resealable snack bag of claim 14, wherein said third sealing strip includes a protrusion and said fourth sealing strip includes a channel, wherein said protrusion of said third sealing strip is sealable with said channel of said fourth sealing strip to form an air-tight seal therebetween.

16. The resealable snack bag of claim 15, wherein said third sealing strip and said fourth sealing strip are sealable with finger pressure on said exterior surface of said bag along outlines of said third sealing strip and said fourth sealing strip.

17. A method of resealing a snack bag for storing snacks, the method comprising the steps of:

providing the snack bag comprising a top end section and a bottom end section, wherein said top end section is collapsible towards said bottom end section;

mounting a first closure mechanism having a first sealing strip on a first interior surface and a second sealing strip on a second interior surface of said snack bag, wherein said first sealing strip is aligned and opposed with said second sealing strip;

mounting a second closure mechanism having a third sealing strip on the first interior surface and a fourth sealing strip on the second interior surface of said snack bag, wherein said third sealing strip is aligned and opposed with said fourth sealing strip;

engaging said first closure mechanism while a majority of the snacks remain in said snack bag;

removing a top section of said snack bag and said first closure mechanism when a minority of the snacks remain in said snack bag; and

engaging said second closure mechanism while the minority of the snacks remain in the snack bag.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said first sealing strip comprises a protrusion and said second sealing strip comprises a channel, and further wherein said protrusion of said first sealing strip is sealable with said channel of said second sealing strip to form an air-tight seal therebetween.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said second closure mechanism is generally positioned at a midpoint of a length of said snack bag.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said first closure mechanism is positioned above said second closure mechanism.