U.S. patent application number 10/210620 was filed with the patent office on 2004-02-05 for plurality of bags and method of making the same.
Invention is credited to Brown, Blake Allen, Murdock, Dixie Lee, Riekenberg, Bruce Jay.
Application Number | 20040022457 10/210620 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 31187386 |
Filed Date | 2004-02-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040022457 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Brown, Blake Allen ; et
al. |
February 5, 2004 |
Plurality of bags and method of making the same
Abstract
A plurality of bags, sleeves, or pouches are detachably joined
and provided on a roll. The bags, sleeves, or pouches may be made
by joining or by folding the material and forming spaced seal and
tear lines in the material. The seal and tear lines are formed in
the material by a seal bar having a saw tooth surface which forms
alternating sealed and cut portions and uncut portions in the
material
Inventors: |
Brown, Blake Allen;
(Wenatchee, WA) ; Murdock, Dixie Lee; (East
Wenatchee, WA) ; Riekenberg, Bruce Jay; (Wenatchee,
WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Ronald B. Coolley
Jenkens & Gilchrist
Suite 2600
225 West Washington St.
Chicago
IL
60606
US
|
Family ID: |
31187386 |
Appl. No.: |
10/210620 |
Filed: |
August 1, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
383/37 ; 206/390;
383/84 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C 66/72328 20130101;
B29C 66/81433 20130101; B31B 70/8123 20170801; B29C 66/81417
20130101; B29C 66/1122 20130101; B65D 33/002 20130101; B29C 66/4722
20130101; B29C 66/8511 20130101; B31B 70/64 20170801; B31B 70/14
20170801; B31B 70/946 20170801; B31B 70/942 20170801; B29C 66/83411
20130101; B31B 2155/001 20170801; B29C 65/7437 20130101; B29C
66/832 20130101; B29C 66/8511 20130101; B31B 2155/0014 20170801;
B29C 66/83413 20130101; B31B 2160/10 20170801; B29C 66/8322
20130101; B65D 81/03 20130101; B31B 2155/00 20170801; B29C 65/18
20130101; B29C 66/80 20130101; B65D 33/24 20130101; B29C 65/00
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/37 ; 206/390;
383/84 |
International
Class: |
B65D 033/18 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1 A plurality of bags, comprising material folded over with a first
part of said material overlying a second part of said material, a
plurality of sealed and tear lines in said first and second parts
of said material, said seal and tear lines spaced a predetermined
distance from each other to define individual bags between adjacent
seal and tear lines, each said seal and tear line defined by
alternating sections of cut and sealed portions and uncut portions
of said material.
2. The plurality of bags claimed in claim 1 wherein said first part
of said material extends beyond said second part of said material
to define a flap.
3. The plurality of bags claimed in claim 3 comprising adhesive on
said flap.
4. The plurality of bags claimed in claim 1 wherein a cavity for
holding an object to be protected by said bags is defined between
said first part of said material and said second part of said
material
5 The plurality of bags claimed in claim 1 wherein said bags are
rolled onto a roll
6 A method of making a plurality of bags detachably connected
together, comprising providing bag material, folding a part of said
material onto itself, and forming in said folded material a seal
and tear line having sealed and cut portions of said material
alternating with uncut portions of said material.
7 The method of making a plurality of bags claimed in claim 6, said
step of forming a seal and tear line in said material is repeated
to define individual bags between adjacent seal and tear lines.
8 The method of making a plurality of bags claimed in claim 6
wherein said step of folding a part of said material further
comprises folding said part of said material to define a flap of
material
9. The method of making a plurality of bags claimed in claim 8
further comprising applying securement means to said flap for
securing said flap to said bag in a bag closed configuration.
10. The method of making a plurality of bags claimed in claim 6
further comprising providing a saw tooth configured seal bar for
forming said seal and tear line in said material.
11. A seal bar for forming a seal and tear line in material to
define bags, sleeves, or pouches and the like, comprising an
elongated body, said elongated body having a top surface and a
bottom surface, said bottom surface having alternating raised
portions and recesses in a saw tooth configuration
12. The seal bar claimed in claim 11, said elongated body having a
tapered configuration narrowing from said top surface to said
bottom surface
13 A plurality of bags, sleeves, or pouches and the like,
comprising a web of material, said material defining first and
second side walls, a plurality of spaced tear lines in said web of
material defining bags, sleeves, or pouches and the like between
adjacent tear lines, said tear lines defined by alternating
sections of sealed and cut portions and uncut portions of said web
of material
14 The plurality of bags, sleeves, or pouches and the like claimed
in claim 13 further comprising a flap on said second side wall
extending beyond said first side wall.
15. The plurality of bags, sleeves, or pouches and the like claimed
in claim 14 further comprising closure means for releasably
securing said flap to said first side wall.
16 A method of making a plurality of bags, sleeves, or pouches and
the like, comprising providing material, forming a first wall of
said material and a second wall of said material, and forming a
tear line having sealed and cut portions and uncut portions in said
first wall of material and said second wall of material to at least
partially seal said first wall of material to said second wall of
material
17 The method claimed in claim 16 further comprising forming a flap
on said second wall of said material
18. The method claimed in claim 17 further comprising providing
securement means on said flap for securing said flap to said first
wall of said material
19 The method claimed in claim 16 further comprising forming said
tear line using a saw tooth configured seal bar
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a plurality of
bags, sleeves, or pouches. More particularly, the invention relates
to a plurality of bags, sleeves, or pouches that can be separated
from each other along tear lines, and the method of making these
bags, sleeves, and pouches.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Mass production facilities such as in the electronic,
automotive parts, furniture, and small parts manufacturing
industries package small items in cushioned bags, sleeves, or
pouches for shipment and sale Although the material of the bag can
be film, foam, or a paper or film laminate, if the item is fragile,
the material is preferably cushioned Individual cushioned bags or
pouches of this type are disclosed in U.S Pat. Nos. 4,087,002 and
4,011,798. These prior art individual bags, sleeves, or pouches
require time and labor to select, fill and seal To overcome some of
these problems in the prior art, several bags can be provided on a
roll with each bag separated from adjacent bags by a line of
separation These bags are formed from a sheet of film folded on
itself or two separate sheets of film on top of each other. A wide
seal or pair of seals are formed between each bag with one side of
each wide seal or one seal of each pair forming a side seal of one
of the adjacent bags A line of separation such as a line of
perforations is formed between the pair of seals or along the
center line of a wide seal The wide seal or pair of seals in the
prior art requires a substantial amount of material when making
several million bags or pouches It is desirable to use a different
combination seal and tear line to save material
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention is directed to a plurality of bags,
sleeves, or pouches that are joined together along separation or
tear lines. The bags, sleeves, or pouches are formed from material
such as sheets of multiple sealed air pockets as for example,
Astro-Cell.RTM. air cushioning made by Pactiv Corporation of Lake
Forest, Ill., foam, film, or laminates including paper, film and
foam laminates. The material is sealed to form individual bags or
pouches having an open mouth cavity or open ended tubes or sleeves
such as, Sleeve It.RTM. products made by Pactiv Corporation of Lake
Forest, Ill. Seals are formed by a saw tooth seal bar that
simultaneously seals sides of adjacent bags, sleeves, or pouches
and forms a separation or tear line in the seal. By having the
seals and separation or tear lines at the same location, less
material is required than in the prior art. When making millions of
bags, sleeves, or pouches, this savings of material results in
substantial cost savings. If desired, each bag or pouch can include
a flap with adhesive, coadhesives or other types of closures such
that the flap can be folded over the open mouth to close the
cavity
[0004] The bags, sleeves, or pouches are provided on a continuous
strip with tear or separation lines between them. In this form, the
plurality of bags, sleeves, or pouches can be provided on a roll
allowing a user to tear one or several bags, sleeves, or pouches
from the roll quickly and easily
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] Other objects and advantages of the invention will become
apparent upon reading the following detailed description in
conjunction with the drawings in which
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roll of bags, sleeves, or
pouches constructed in accordance with the principles of the
present invention,
[0007] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the method of making
the bags, sleeves, or pouches of FIG. 1, and
[0008] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a seal bar used in the
method illustrated in FIG. 2
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0009] Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a plurality of
connected individual bags, sleeves, or pouches 10. The plurality of
bags, sleeves, or pouches 10 are shown on a roll 12 which allows a
user to pull one or several bags, sleeves, or pouches 10 from the
roll 12 quickly and easily. Other forms of storage of the bags,
sleeves, or pouches 10 can also be used such as stacking or folding
them on each other.
[0010] Each bag, sleeve, or pouch 10 is formed from a web of
material 19 that can be a sheet or film of a plurality of enclosed
air bubbles such as, Astro-Cell.RTM. air cushioning made by Pactiv
Corporation of Lake Forest, Ill., foam, film or laminates including
paper, film or foam laminates. Each bag, sleeve, or pouch 10 is
defined by a first side wall 16 and a second side wall 18 which can
be formed by folding the material 19 onto itself as shown in FIG.
2, or it may be two pieces of material placed on top of each other.
Each bag or pouch 10 thus formed includes a bottom 20, a first
sealed side 22, a second sealed side 24 and an open mouth 26 which
provides access to a cavity between the first side wall 16 and the
second side wall 18. If a sleeve 10 is made, the bottom 20 is open
to define a second open mouth 26. Objects to be placed in each bag
or pouch 10 can be inserted into the cavity through the mouth
26.
[0011] If desired, the bags, sleeves, or pouches 10 can be formed
such that the second side wall 18 extends beyond the first side
wall 16 to define a flap 30. The flap 30 can be folded over the
open mouth 26 to close the cavity and retain objects in the cavity.
The flap 30 may be sealed in a folded configuration by adhesive,
coadhesive, or other types of closures 32 (FIG. 2) applied to the
inside of the flap 30 in a location to secure the flap 30 to the
first side wall 16 when the flap 30 is folded over onto the first
side wall 16. If adhesive is used, a peel sheet 34 is placed on the
adhesive 32 to protect the adhesive when not in use. Once objects
have been placed in the cavity of the bag, sleeve, or pouch 10, the
peel sheet 34 is removed and the flap 30 is folded onto the first
side wall 16 and the adhesive 34 holds the flap 30 in the closed
position secured to the first side wall 16 closing the mouth
26.
[0012] The individual bags, sleeves, or pouches 10 are separated
from each other by seal and tear lines 36 that may be lines of
perforations or weakened portions of the first side wall 16 and the
second side wall 18. Prior art bags and pouches have a wide seal
between adjacent bags with a line of perforations along the center
of the seal area This wide seal area provides side seals on
adjacent bags or pouches and a line of perforations between the
side seals along which adjacent bags may be separated Another prior
art seal is a twin seal which is two parallel seals each forming a
side seal of an adjacent bag and a line of perforations between the
parallel seals. In contrast, the seal and tear lines 36 are single
lines of alternating sealed and cut portions and uncut portions
formed by a saw tooth seal bar 37 (FIG. 3). The saw tooth seal bar
37 has an elongated body that narrows from a top surface 37A to a
bottom surface 37B A plurality of teeth or raised portions 39
alternating with recesses 41 are formed in the bottom surface 37B
in a saw tooth configuration. The saw tooth seal bar 37 is heated
and when pressed onto the material 19, the teeth or raised portions
39 cut through the material 19 while sealing the sides 22, 24 of
the cut. The recesses 41, however, slightly contact the material 19
leaving that portion of the material 19 uncut. The resultant seal
and tear line 36 consists of alternating sealed cuts and uncut
portions such that adjacent bags, sleeves, or pouches 10 may be
separated by tearing along the seal and tear line 36 The seal and
tear lines 36 require less material than the wide seals or twin
seals with lines of perforation in the prior art, and when making
several million bags, sleeves, or pouches, there is a considerable
savings in material by using the seal bar 37 of the present
invention.
[0013] A method of making the bags, sleeves, or pouches 10 is
illustrated in FIG. 2 The method illustrated forms bags, sleeves,
or pouches with a flap, but bags, sleeves, or pouches without a
flap can be made using this method by not extending one side wall
In this method a piece of material 19 is shown but two pieces of
material 19 can be used and bonded together. As the material 19 is
advanced, a peel sheet 34 with adhesive 32 applied thereon is
layered onto the material 19 The peel sheet 34 is fed off a roll
38. As the peel sheet 34 is fed from roll 38, adhesive 32 is
applied to the peel sheet 34 by an applicator 40. The peel sheet 34
with adhesive 32 applied thereon is fed between a pair of rollers
42 and 44. The material 19 is also fed between the rollers 42 and
44. The rollers 42 and 44 press the peel sheet 34 onto a portion of
the material 19 that will become the flap 30.
[0014] The material 19 with the peel sheet 34 is advanced into a
folding assembly 46 The folding assembly 46 includes a plow or
folder 48. The folding assembly 46 folds the material 19 to
position the first side wall 16 over the second side wall 18 and
forming the flap 30.
[0015] The folded material 19 is advanced between the saw tooth
seal bar 37 and a rubber seal roller 52. The folded material 19 is
intermittently stopped and the seal bar 37 is reciprocated into
engagement with the material 19 and the rubber seal roller 52 to
seal and cut a seal and tear line 36. The seal bar 37 is then
reciprocated out of engagement with the material 19, and the
material 19 is advanced a distance equal to the width of one
bag,sleeve, or pouch 10. The seal bar 37 is again reciprocated to
repeat the operation of forming a seal and tear line 36. The
material 19 with the formed seal and tear lines 36 is then rolled
onto roll 12
[0016] While the present invention has been described with
reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in
the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention. Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof
is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the
claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
* * * * *