US2983539A - Bag seal - Google Patents

Description

A. A. NORIN May 9, 1961 BAG SEAL Filed June 24, 1958 INVENTOR. Qf$7p a. gm,

BY Q 3E MW Z 1 K k M United States Patent 2,983,539 BAG SEAL Allan. A; Norin, Chicago, Ill., assignmto Porter Safety Seal Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed June 24, 1958, Ser. No. 744,137

6 Claims. (Cl. 292-308) The invention relates to bag seal impropements and particularly ofjthat type provided with a cord arranged to encircle a gathered neck of a bag and to be securely locked inplace with a deformable lead seal body.

I'Bag seals of the type here under consideration have,

vided on the seal are arranged to encircle the bag, and then .the seal element itself is used to pull the loops into a tight constriction about the bag neck. At this point, a

deformable body associated with the seal is squeezed in an appropriate tool, which locks the bag and tie cord in bag-closed position. Of course, after transport of the particular bag, the seal'mustbe removed; and thelonly convenient way to acomplish same is to cut the tie cord.

Experience has shown that in removing the seal from the bag, the bagis frequently cut or gashed, thereby destroying the future usefulness of the bag per se; This, of course, is undesirable especially in view of the fact that thereis a large disparity between the cost of the bag andrthejrelatively inexpensive seal, r a

'It is, therefore," a primary object of this invention to provide an improved bag sealing arrangement.

It is another object of the invention to provide a bag seal arangement of the type here under consideration,

having a combination of deformable sealing elements and a relative non-deformable bag engaging element formed and arranged to cooperate and provide improved bag seal ing characteristics.

It is a specific object of the invention to provide the combination indicated above, having structure to guide any cutting action and so localize same as to eliminate any possibility of the bag being gashed or otherwise damaged.

It is a further specific object of the invention to provide with the combination above, a tie cord arrangement designed to facilitate seal removal.

Still another specific object of the invention is to provide an arrangement including a bag-engaging element which accommodates cutting of the tie cords from either side without turning the bag more than 90 and thereby reducing the time required to open the bags.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide in an arrangement of the type described a flexible bagengaging element which, upon mounting of the bag, will produce a pinch effect on the bag and avoid seal slippage relative to the bag.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in the bag-engaging element, elongated tie cord receiving slots which permit the application of the seal arrangement to bags of varying sizes.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following description, and

from an examination of the associated drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of the seal arrangement here under consideration,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the non-deformable element used in the seal combination, and particularly showing the front portion thereof,

Figure 2a is another perspective view of the non deformable element, and illustrating the rear portion thereof, a 1 t t Figure 3 is afragmentary perspective view illustrating the seal arrangement in combination with a bag, and

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of a slightly modi-i fied embodiment of the non-deformable element incorpo-= rated in the arrangement.

Describing the arrangement in detail, and directing attention first to Figure 1, it will be understood that a deformable body is indicated generally at 2 and may be composed of lead or other suitable material; The body 2 in its original form is generally planar, and is provided with a plurality (preferably, four) holes or apertures 6, 6

extending therethrough. It will. be noted that the holes 6 are generally parallel to each other and also parallel to the general plane of the deformable body 2. A pliant L deformable element 2, and thereafter in series through" tying cord indicated generally at 8 is threaded through, inseries, the outer holes 6 on the left and right of the the inner holes 6 of said deformable element. With the pliant tie cord 8 threaded through the deformable .ele-r ment in this manner, it forms a pair of generally parallel inner and outer loops 10 and 12. Those skilled in the- 1 art will understand that the loops 10 and 12 encircle the neck of the bag, as hereinafter described more in detail.

Intermediate the loops 10 and 12 and deformable ele-.

ment 2, a relatively rigid non-deformable element indicated generally at 14 is provided.

Turning to Figures 2 and 2a, it will be noted that. the

element 14 comprises a forward wall indicated generally at 16 and a rear wall indicated generally at 18. The rear wall 18 is composed of two oppositely extending wing portions 20, 20. Said wing portions 20 are generally planar and, each having provided therein anopen ended aperture 22;;

"" The front wall 16 is also provided with oppositely extending wing portions 24, 24 said wing portions 24 extending outwardly further than the adjacent wing portions 20 of the rear wall 18. It will also be noted that in the preferred form of the invention, the wing portions 24 are angularly related to each other and arranged to converge centrally of the non-deformable element 14. Each of the wing portions 24 is further provided with a closed, elongated slot 26, 26, the purpose of all of said slots being hereinafter described more in detail.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the front wall 16 and rear wall 18 are integrally formed so that the adjacent wing portions 20 and 24 of the respective walls each form a rigid non-deformable guiding slot 30. The guiding slots 30, of course, have their outer ends open and are desirably arranged to receive and guide a cutting edge, such as a knife, without the knife inadvertently slipping from said slot. The advantage of this structure will hereinafter be explained in detail.

Turning now in Figure 3, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention here under consideration in sealing or locking arrangement and in combination with a bag 34, it will be noted that the bag 34 has been necked down as at 36, whereat the tie cord loops 10 and 12 have been arranged to encircle the necked-down bag portion 36 and the tie cord 8 has been pulled tightly, whereby the loops 10 and '12 constrictively surround said bag neck. In this position, the relatively rigid nondeformable element 14, and particularly the wings 24, 24 thereof, firmly abut and engage the bag neck 36; and a central portion 40 of the deformable element 2 is in Patented May 9, 1961 tight abutting relation with an adjacent central portion of the rear wall 18, and 6 body -2 has in effect .been deformed to tightly lock the arrangement in position.

Those familiar with the art will understand that once the'...-sealing ,;arrangement..has :been pulled into position on. a bag neck-and beforev body deformation, the'ztiejcord 8 is extremely tight throughout its entire: operative length. When: the lbody :ZIis deformed, athe portion .ofnthe' tie cordiSivithinithe bodytendsto increase in length. This, of course, puts more tensionon the loop. portionsiilfl. and 12.". It is therefore desirable that thewing portions 24 ofthegfront. Wall :26 be .resilientlydeflectable so that upon final deformation of the body 2, the wing portions 24. are .urged to' springingly en gagei the adjacent bag neck. It will:be readil'y apparent from; the. structure shown in Figur'e 3-.that' the/slots '30, 30 formed .in the nondefprmable:=elernent. 14.provide clear and open cutting slots to receive any appropriate cuttingedge, such as a knife. 'It is also apparent that the wing portions .20 and 24 which define each slot 30 efiiectively guide any cutting action to avoid contact between .the bag and the cutting instrument. The .abutting flat contact between the deformable element and the flat rear portion of the rear wall 18 prevents the. deformable element 2 from .ac cidentally closing the slots 30 upon original deformation. It will also be apparent that the apertures 22 in the wing portions 20 and the slots 26 in the wing portions 24 are so aligned that a strand of each loop 10 and 12 ispresented in each slot 30 for cutting (see Figure 1). It is, therefore, only necessary to place a cutting instrument in only one of the slots 30, whichever. may be convenient in a given bag installation. Of course, ..With the single cut, the entiresealing arrangement becomes disassociated with the bag.

' Turning to Figure 4 which illustratesa slightly modified arrangement of the non-deformable element 14, it will be noted that front wing portions 24a are slightly spaced fromeach other at the center portion of the element. In addition, upper and lower forwardly projecting flanges or ledges'44 are also provided on the wing portions 24a. When a non-deformable element as here illustrated is utilized in combination with the deformable element and tie cord illustrated in Figure 1, it will be readily apparent that the ledges 44 tend to tightly grip the adjacent bag neck and that the space 46 between claims.

What is claimed is: 1. As an article .of manufacture, a bag gripping element adapted to be associated with a deformable locking body and a bag encircling cord; said element including a rear wall having a planar surface arranged to engage said body, saidtrear .wall forming oppositely extending first wings, a front wall having oppositelyextending second wingsin acute angular relation with said first wings and said second swings defining a pair .of opposed generally .U-shaped cutting slots exposing portions of said cord. r H2. Anarticle according to claim 1, having apertures in said first wings which are open ended slots and apertures in said second wings which are closed slots;

3. An article according to claim 1,-wher ein said second wings are provided with adjacent ends located centrally of saidrear wall as seen in plan view.

a 4. An article according to claim 3, wherein said ad- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Scott Dec. 2, .1952

Canter et Oct. 6, .1953

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