U.S. patent application number 10/638719 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-17 for tamper indicating security bag.
This patent application is currently assigned to Ampac Plastics LLC. Invention is credited to Geyer, Thomas E..
Application Number | 20050036716 10/638719 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34135714 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050036716 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Geyer, Thomas E. |
February 17, 2005 |
Tamper indicating security bag
Abstract
A security bag has tamper indicating features that may be
incorporated directly on the bag during manufacture, without
requiring conventional tamper-indicating tapes. Release material is
selectively applied to the bag in the form of a pattern or void
message, prior to treatment of the bag to improve ink-retaining
characteristics. After treatment, an ink layer is applied over the
release material. An adhesive layer is applied to the bag in an
area that will seal an opening of the bag and contact the ink layer
at least when the bag is sealed. When the bag is reopened after
initial sealing, portions of the ink layer applied over the release
material will be retained with the adhesive, while the remainder of
the ink layer will be retained on the treated surface of the
bag.
Inventors: |
Geyer, Thomas E.; (West
Chester, OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WOOD, HERRON & EVANS, LLP
2700 CAREW TOWER
441 VINE STREET
CINCINNATI
OH
45202
US
|
Assignee: |
Ampac Plastics LLC
Cincinnati
OH
|
Family ID: |
34135714 |
Appl. No.: |
10/638719 |
Filed: |
August 11, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
383/5 ; 383/66;
383/84; 383/93 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 33/34 20130101;
B65D 33/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/005 ;
383/066; 383/093; 383/084 |
International
Class: |
B65D 033/34 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A security bag, comprising: first and second opposing wall
sections defining a receptacle; an opening to said receptacle;
release material selectively disposed on at least one of said first
and second opposing wall sections, adjacent said opening; an ink
layer disposed on at least one of said first and second opposing
wall sections, atop said release material; an adhesive layer
disposed on at least one of said first and second opposing wall
sections, proximate said opening, for sealing said opening.
2. The security bag of claim 1, wherein said release material and
said ink layer are disposed on only one of said first and second
wall sections.
3. The security bag of claim 1, wherein said release material and
said ink layer are disposed on both said wall sections.
4. The security bag of claim 1, wherein said release material, said
ink layer, and said adhesive layer are all disposed on only one of
said wall sections.
5. A security bag, comprising: first and second opposing wall
sections defining a receptacle; an opening to said receptacle; a
closure configured to engage said opening; release material
selectively disposed on at least one of said first wall section,
said second wall section, and said closure; an ink layer disposed
atop said release material on at least one of said first wall
section, said second wall section, and said closure; an adhesive
layer disposed on at least one of said first wall section, said
second wall section, and said closure, such that said opening may
be sealed by said adhesive when said closure is engaged with said
opening and said adhesive is in contact with said ink layer at
least when said closure is engaged with said opening.
6. The security bag of claim 5, wherein said closure comprises at
least one of said first and second wall sections.
7. The security bag of claim 5, wherein said closure comprises a
flap member configured to engage said opening.
8. The security bag of claim 6, wherein said opening is defined by
an aperture formed said first wall section.
9. The security bag of claim 8, wherein said release material and
said ink layer are disposed on said first wall section, adjacent
said aperture.
10. The security bag of claim 8, wherein said release material and
said ink layer are disposed on said closure engagable with said
aperture.
11. The security bag of claim 8, wherein said release material and
said ink layer are disposed on said first wall section, adjacent
said aperture, and on said closure engageable with said
aperture.
12. The security bag of claim 6, wherein said adhesive is
positioned to contact said ink layer when said opening is
sealed.
13. The security bag of claim 6, wherein said adhesive layer is
disposed atop said ink layer on at least one of said first wall
section, said second wall section and said closure.
14. A method of making a tamper indicating bag, comprising:
selectively applying release material to at least one portion of
the bag; treating the bag to enhance ink retention characteristics
of the bag; and applying an ink layer to the at least one portion
of the bag, atop the release material.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: applying an
adhesive layer to the bag, atop the ink layer.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: applying an
adhesive layer to the bag in an area that will engage the ink layer
when the bag is sealed.
17. The method of claim 14, wherein treating the bag comprises
corona treating at least a portion of the bag.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to plastic bags, and more
particularly to plastic security bags.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Plastic security bags are becoming widely used to transport
sensitive or valuable items such as paper money, checks, or coins.
These bags generally include tamper indicating features that
provide visible evidence that a security bag has been opened after
it has been initially sealed. For example, many security bags
utilize tamper indicating tapes containing a void message or a
visible pattern that is activated when the bag is opened. The
message or pattern is imbedded into an ink layer that is covered
with an adhesive for sealing the bag. When it is desired to seal
the bag, a protective backing strip is removed from the adhesive
and the tamper indicating tape is placed in contact with the
opening of the bag to thereby seal the opening. These tamper
indicating bags have several drawbacks. First, the tamper
indicating tapes require additional manufacturing steps to create
the tamper indicating feature. These additional manufacturing
steps, together with the additional cost of the tape, add to the
overall cost of producing the bags. In addition, tamper indicating
tapes typically require special adhesives which are formulated to
release at predetermined tensile values to permit opening the bag
while retaining ink in the area of the void message. The need for
special adhesives further increases the cost of producing the bags.
Many tamper indicating tapes are highly sensitive and often provide
a false indication of tampering when no such tampering has
occurred. Finally, conventional security bags incorporating tamper
indicating tapes are still susceptible to tampering because the ink
is generally applied to be exposed on only one side of the adhesive
layer of the tape. Thus, entry to the security bag may be gained by
delaminating the side of the tape that does not contain ink, for
example by heating or freezing the bag.
[0003] There is thus a need for a plastic security bag which
overcomes drawbacks of the prior art such as those described
above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention provides a security bag which includes
tamper-indicating features incorporated directly on the bag during
manufacture, without the need for conventional tamper-indicating
tapes to be applied to the bag. Because the tamper-indicating
features may be incorporated directly on the bag, production line
speeds can be increased and overall production costs reduced. In
one embodiment, the invention also provides improved security by
incorporating tamper-indicating features on both sides of an
adhesive that is used to seal the bag. In this embodiment, attempts
to delaminate the bag on either side of the adhesive will create a
visible indication of the tampering.
[0005] In one aspect of the invention, release material is
selectively applied to portions of the bag near its opening, to
create a pattern or void message that will be visible when the bag
has been tampered with. The bag is then treated, for example by
corona discharge, to enhance the ink retaining characteristics of
the bag material. After treatment, ink is applied to the bag,
generally over the area containing the release material. Adhesive
is applied to the bag, either atop the ink layer or in an area of
the bag that will engage the opening and ink layer when the bag is
sealed.
[0006] When the bag is reopened after initial sealing, portions of
the ink layer directly over the selectively applied release
material will adhere to the adhesive more strongly than the release
material, and will be removed with the adhesive while the other
portions of the ink layer will remain in place. The missing
portions of the ink layer will provide a visual indication that the
bag has been opened, in the form of the pattern or void message
created by the release material.
[0007] In an exemplary embodiment, the release material and ink
layer are applied to one of first and second wall sections that
define a receptacle of the bag. In another exemplary embodiment,
release material and ink layers are applied to both wall
sections.
[0008] In another exemplary embodiment, the bag further includes a
closure configured to engage the opening of the bag. In another
exemplary embodiment, the closure comprises one of the opposing
wall sections. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the closure
comprises a flap engagable with the opening.
[0009] These and other features, objects and advantages of the
invention will be come more readily apparent to those of ordinary
skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description,
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and, together with a general description of the
invention given above, and the detailed description given below,
serve to explain the invention.
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary security bag
including-tamper indicating features of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the bag of FIG.
1, taken along line 2-2;
[0013] FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2,
illustrating the bag in a closed condition;
[0014] FIG. 3B is a partial cross-sectional view of the bag of FIG.
3A, illustrating an open condition of the bag after initial
sealing;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the re-opened bag of
FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of another
exemplary embodiment of the security bag of FIG. 1;
[0017] FIGS. 6A-6C are partial cross-sectional views of yet another
security bag of the present invention, illustrating operation of
the tamper-indicating features;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view depicting yet
another embodiment of a security bag according to the present
invention; and
[0019] FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of another
embodiment of a security bag according to the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an exemplary
security bag 10 including tamper-indicating features according to
the present invention. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the
security bag 10 includes first and second opposing wall sections
12, 14 defining a receptacle 16 for receiving articles to be stored
in the bag 10. The bag 10 may be formed, for example, by folding a
sheet of plastic material and stamping and heat sealing the folded
sheets in appropriate locations to create sealed edges,
perforations, and an opening, as will be understood by those
skilled in the art. The exemplary bag 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 has first
and second side edges 18, 20 which have been heat sealed and which
together with a first transverse heat seal 22 formed between the
first and second side edges 18, 20 and proximate a distal end 24 of
the bag 10 define the receptacle 16 of the bag 10. An opening 26,
in the form of a transverse slit formed in the first wall section
12, provides access to the receptacle 16. A second transverse heat
seal 28 formed toward the proximal end 30 of the bag 10 joins the
folded layers and defines a closure portion 32 of the bag 10
adjacent the opening 26.
[0021] Transverse perforations 34 formed in the bag 10 at the
proximal end 30 define a first receipt portion 38, which may be
removed from the bag 10 as known in the art. Bag 10 may further
include a second removable receipt portion 40 at the distal end 24,
below transverse heat seal 22, and defined by transverse
perforations 36. Alternatively, a slit may be formed in the first
wall section 12 below the transverse heat seal, instead of
perforations 36, to create a pouch which may be used to store
routing slips or other non-cash items, as may be desired. Tape or
adhesive may be provided on the bag 10, near the slit, to
facilitate sealing the pouch in a non-secure manner.
[0022] Tamper-indicating features applied to the bag 10 proximate
the opening 26 act in conjunction with the closure 32 to provide a
visible indication that the bag 10 has been reopened after initial
sealing of the opening 26 with the closure 32. In the exemplary
embodiment shown, the tamper-indicating features comprise release
material 50 which has been applied to the first wall section 12
adjacent the opening 26 formed in the first wall section 12. The
release material 50 may be applied in a specific pattern or in the
form of text, and is applied to the first wall section 12 prior to
treating the bag 10 to enhance the ink retaining characteristics of
the bag material. For example, it is common to corona treat many
plastic materials utilized in the formation of plastic security
bags prior to applying inks to thereby enhance the ink retaining
characteristics of the material. Because the release material 50 is
applied to the bag 10 prior to this treatment, the areas of the bag
10 underlying the release material 50 are protected from the
treatment and define localized sites where the ink layers applied
to the bag 10 will have less ink retention capability. To further
create the tamper-indicating features of the bag 10, a visible ink
layer 52 is applied to the first wall 12, adjacent the opening 26,
and over the release material 50. As noted above, the ink 52 will
adhere quite well to the surface of the bag 10 which has been
exposed to the surface treatment process, but the ink 52 will not
adhere as well to the areas of the bag 10 which have received the
release material 50.
[0023] In the exemplary embodiment shown, an adhesive layer 54 is
disposed on the closure portion 32 of the bag 10 in an area which
will cover the opening 26 and the ink layer 52 which has been
applied around the opening 26 on the first wall 12 when the closure
32 is folded to engage the opening 26 as depicted in FIG. 3A. The
closure 32 may further include a liner material 56 disposed on the
adhesive 54 to protect the adhesive 54 from contamination and to
prevent premature adhesion of the closure 32 to the bag 10. To seal
the bag 10, the protective liner 56 is removed from the adhesive
layer 54 and the closure 32 is folded to place the adhesive 54 in
contact with the ink layer 52 surrounding the opening 26 of the bag
10. Advantageously, the adhesive 54 readily adheres to the ink
layer 52 and securely seals the opening 26.
[0024] When the bag 10 is opened for the first time after initial
sealing, the portions of the ink layer 52 disposed on the areas of
the bag 10 containing the release material 50 will adhere to the
adhesive 54 and will be removed along with the adhesive 54 when the
closure 32 is urged away from the opening 26 of the bag 10, as
depicted in FIG. 3B. In this manner, the remaining ink layer 52 and
exposed release material 50 create a visible pattern or indicia
that clearly indicates that the bag 10 has been reopened, as
illustrated in FIG. 4. Advantageously, the release material 50 may
be selected to be transparent, thereby providing contrast with the
visible ink layer 52. Alternatively, the release material 50 may be
selected to have a color which is distinct from the ink layer 52.
Accordingly, the release material may comprise colored or
non-pigmented ink, varnish, or other material suitable for
protecting the surface of the bag material from the treatment
process.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown another exemplary
embodiment of the security bag 10a according to the present
invention wherein release material 50 and ink layers 52 have been
applied to the closure portion 32a of the bag 10a in the manner
described above. Similar features have been similarly numbered. An
adhesive layer 54 and liner 56 are disposed on the closure portion
32a to protect the adhesive 54 prior to sealing the bag 10a.
Advantageously, this embodiment provides tamper indicating features
on both sides of the adhesive layer 54 when the bag 10a is sealed,
thereby providing additional security against unauthorized access
to the contents of the bag 10a. For example, the double-applied
release material 50 and ink layers 52 provide indication of when
delamination of either side of the adhesive layer 54 has been
attempted. The exemplary bag 10a of FIG. 5 operates in a manner
similar to that described above whereby the liner material 56 is
removed from the adhesive layer 54 and the closure 32a is folded to
engage the adhesive layer 54 and the ink layer 52 applied to the
first wall 12 of the bag 10a adjacent the opening 26. When the bag
10a of FIG. 5 is reopened after initial sealing, one or both ink
layers 52 are separated and adhere to the adhesive layers 54 in the
areas where the release material 50 has been applied to the bag
10a.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 6A-6C, there is shown yet another
exemplary security bag 10b, according to the present invention, in
which features similar to those described above have been similarly
numbered. In this embodiment, an opening 60 to the receptacle 16 is
defined by the first and second opposing wall sections 12, 14 of
the bag 10b. The release material 50 and ink layers 52 of the
tamper-indicating features are applied to the inner surfaces 62, 64
of both the first and second opposing wall sections 12, 14 and an
adhesive layer 54 is applied to one of the opposing wall sections,
whereby the opening 60 of the bag 10b may be sealed as described
above and illustrated in FIG. 6B. When the bag 10b has been
reopened after initial sealing, the portions of the ink layer 52
corresponding to areas of the bag 10b containing the release
material 50 are separated from adjacent portions of the ink layer
52 and adhere to the adhesive layer 54 as depicted in FIG. 6C and
in a manner similar to that described above.
[0027] While the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 6A-6C has been shown
and described as having ink layers 52 and release material 50
disposed on both the first and second opposing wall sections 12, 14
of the bag 10b, it will be recognized that the release material 50
and/or ink layer 52 may alternatively be applied to only one of the
opposing wall sections 12, 14.
[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, there are shown additional
exemplary embodiments of security bags 10c, 10d including
tamper-indicating features of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the
security bag 10c comprises first and second opposing wall sections
12, 14 defining a receptacle 16 and having a closure 32c defined by
a portion of the second wall section 14 which has been folded over
to engage the inner side 62 of the first wall section 12. In FIG.
8, the exemplary bag 10d is configured such that the second wall
section 14 is folded over to engage the outer side 66 of the first
wall section 12. In both bags 10c, 10d, release material 50 and ink
layers 52 have been applied to both the first and second wall
sections 12, 14 to create tamper-indicating features, as described
above. While these exemplary embodiments have been depicted and
described as having release material 50 and ink layers 52 disposed
on both the first and second opposing wall sections 12, 14, it will
be recognized that the tamper-indicating features may alternatively
comprise release material 50 and ink layer 52 applied to only one
of the first and second wall sections 12, 14.
[0029] Advantageously, the tamper indicating features of the
present invention may be applied directly to the various surfaces
of the plastic sheet material forming the plastic bag without the
need to incorporate a separate tamper indicating tape into the bag.
Accordingly, a security bag of the present invention may be readily
formed, incorporating the tamper-indicating features directly into
the manufacturing stream. This permits the line speed of machinery
which is utilized to manufacture the plastic bags to move at a
higher rate to thereby produce a greater quantity of security bags
in a given time period. Because the machines can be run at a higher
rate, economies of scale provide further cost benefits in producing
security bags according to the present invention. Furthermore, the
tamper-indicating features of the present invention do not require
the use of special adhesives, thereby providing further cost
benefits. The tamper-indicating features are also more robust than
conventional tamper-indicating tapes in that they are less
susceptible to providing a false indication that a security bag has
been tampered with.
[0030] Accordingly, an exemplary method of making a tamper
indicating security bag includes selectively applying release
material 50 to at least one portion of the bag, treating the bag to
enhance ink retention characteristics of the bag, and applying an
ink layer 52 to the bag atop the release material 50. The release
material 50 and ink layer 52 may be applied to the bag in an area
that surrounds an opening of the bag, or in an area that will
engage the opening when the bag is sealed. The method may further
include applying an adhesive layer 54 to the bag, in an area that
will engage the ink layer when the bag is closed to seal the
opening. Alternatively, the adhesive layer 54 may be applied atop
the ink layer.
[0031] While the present invention has been illustrated by the
description of various embodiments thereof, and while the
embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not
intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended
claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will
readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its
broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details,
representative apparatus and method and illustrative examples shown
and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such
details without departing from the scope or spirit of the general
inventive concept.
* * * * *