U.S. patent application number 11/010689 was filed with the patent office on 2005-06-02 for method of manufacturing carrier web zipper for gusset bags.
This patent application is currently assigned to ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.. Invention is credited to Ausnit, Steven.
Application Number | 20050119100 11/010689 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24724718 |
Filed Date | 2005-06-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050119100 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ausnit, Steven |
June 2, 2005 |
Method of manufacturing carrier web zipper for gusset bags
Abstract
A method of forming carrier web having discrete lengths of
mating zipper profile thereon. The zipper profile is fed from a
supply roll to overlie a carrier web, tacked to the web and then
severed from its supply roll.
Inventors: |
Ausnit, Steven; (New York,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PITNEY HARDIN LLP
7 TIMES SQUARE
NEW YORK
NY
10036-7311
US
|
Assignee: |
ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
|
Family ID: |
24724718 |
Appl. No.: |
11/010689 |
Filed: |
December 13, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11010689 |
Dec 13, 2004 |
|
|
|
09678890 |
Oct 4, 2000 |
|
|
|
6860844 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
493/212 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29L 2005/00 20130101;
B29C 66/1122 20130101; B29C 66/004 20130101; B29C 66/474 20130101;
B29D 5/00 20130101; B29C 65/02 20130101; B29C 65/18 20130101; B29C
66/431 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
493/212 |
International
Class: |
B31B 001/90 |
Claims
1-3. (canceled)
4. A method of forming a carrier web assembly with axially spaced
discrete sections of zipper profile thereon, comprising the steps
of: a) providing a zipper having mated profiles with one of said
profiles above the other of said profiles so as to provide lower
and upper profiles; b) cutting a first discrete length of said
zipper, and at a first station applying said lower one of said
profiles of said first discrete length of zipper to a first carrier
web; c) moving said first carrier web with said applied zipper to a
second station and applying a second carrier web onto the upper one
of said profiles; and d) sealing said lower one of said profiles to
said first carrier web and said upper one of said profiles to said
second carrier web.
5. A method according to claim 4 wherein said mated zipper profiles
each has a flange and said flanges overlie and are adjacent to each
other, and further comprising the step of maintaining said two
flanges apart from each other while said zipper profiles are sealed
to said first and second carrier webs respectively.
6. A method according to claim 5 comprising the further step of
separating said two flanges from each other before either is sealed
to either of said carrier webs.
7. A method according to claim 5 comprising wherein said lower and
upper profile flanges are sealed respectively to said first and
second carrier webs at substantially the same time.
8. A method of forming a carrier web assembly with axially spaced
discrete sections of zipper profile thereon comprising the steps
of: a) providing a carrier web, b) providing a zipper element
having a plurality of mating profile elements extending
transversely there across, c) cutting a discrete length of said
zipper, d) sealing said discrete length of zipper to said carrier
web, e) folding said carrier webs with attached zipper along a
longitudinal axis approximately 180.degree. forming first and
second parts thereof, with said profile elements on said first part
releasably engaging said profile elements on said second part.
9. A method in accordance with claim 8 comprising the further steps
of slicing said carrier web and zipper elements along a
longitudinal line to sever said first part from said second part.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention is relates to methods of manufacturing
carrier webs bearing zipper profile for use in making reclosable
zipper bags with gusseted sides.
[0002] Heretofore reclosable plastic bags with gusseted sides have
been made from plastic sheet having essentially uniform thickness
for the front, rear and side walls including the gusset areas.
While such side gusset bags featuring zippers have been produced,
they have never provided a bag that could be opened to the full
width of the gusset and also be fully closed by the zipper. In
copending application Ser. No. ______, filed Aug. 25, 2000,
entitled GUSSETED ZIPPER BAG, a reclosable bag with gusseted sides
which overcomes the above mentioned problem is disclosed. This bag
makes use of a carrier web bearing discrete sections of zipper
profile.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention concerns a new method of manufacturing
carrier web bearing discrete sections of zipper profile for use in
the manufacture of such gusseted zipper bags. One object is to
produce for gusseted zipper bags a carrier web bearing intermittent
zipper segments where the gusseted area to be captured by the mated
zipper elements is thinner than the original bag film. A further
object is to attach these mating zipper profile elements to the
carrier web while maintaining the flanges of the mating elements
separate and unsealed from each other.
[0004] The new method provides for discrete zipper sections to be
attached to a carrier web at predetermined intervals lengthwise
along the carrier web, which zipper sections may be mating profile
elements or may comprise a unisexual element that is folded such
that one part releasably engages the other part.
[0005] The disclosure further includes a method of folding these
elements along the longitudinal axis of the carrier strip to
provided mated zipper profiles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a side elevation schematic view partially in
section of an apparatus for forming a carrier web bearing
intermittent segments of zipper profile;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along reference lines 2-2
of FIG. 1;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along reference lines 3-3
of FIG. 1;
[0009] FIG. 4 is an elevation view partially in section of a second
embodiment of the apparatus for manufacturing a second embodiment
of the carrier web carrying intermittent zipper profiles;
[0010] FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along reference lines 5-5
of FIG. 4;
[0011] FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along reference lines 6-6
of FIG. 4; and
[0012] FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along reference lines 7-7
of FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] In FIG. 1 the apparatus 10 has, at the right side of the
drawing, drum 11 on which is wound a continuous strand of mated
zipper profile 12. Moving to the left and downstream from this drum
or source 11 of zipper profile are the following components: zipper
drive 13, cutting station 14, bar seal station 22, further seal
station 24, carrier web drive 26 and take-up spool 28.
[0014] Beginning at the drum 11, the zipper drive delivers zipper
12 to cutting station 14 for cutting a segment or length of zipper
profile. Adjacent drum 11 and below the cutting station is drum 16
on which is wound a supply of lower carrier web 17 in the form of a
continuous plastic strip.
[0015] This lower carrier web 17 is fed to underlie the segment of
zipper profile, and at station 18 the cut off segment of profile is
tack sealed by sealer 19 to the carrier web. Next is drum 20 from
which unwinds upper carrier web 21 which is fed to bar seal station
22 where the mating portions of the zipper are joined to the upper
and lower carrier webs respectively. Next downstream is further
seal station 24 (to be described later), and finally carrier web
drive 26 pulls the zipper/carrier web combination 27 and directs it
onto take-up spool 28 for future use in the manufacture of gusseted
bags.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken through along lines 2-2 of
FIG. 1 slightly downstream of cutting station 14, showing how the
mating profiles are guided and how the flanges of the mating
profile elements are separated. The zipper 12 consists of male and
female parts 12M and 12F respectively which are joined in the usual
manner by interlocking the profile elements. Male zipper 12M with
its flange 33 and female zipper 12F with its flange 34 are
separated by guide plate 30 above which and below which the male
and female flanges 33, 34 ride. A lower plate 29 which serves as an
anvil cooperating with knife 15 is provided below guide plate 30
and above the feed-off of lower carrier web 17.
[0017] Zipper drive 13 delivers zipper profile to the area 18 where
tack seal 19 tacks the profile to lower carrier web 17, and knife
15 cooperating with anvil 29 severs the trailing end of a segment
of zipper profile from the front end of the following segment. The
lower carrier web then moves the zipper profile segment further
downstream to station 22 where upper carrier web 21 delivered from
drum 20, is positioned to overlie said zipper segment along with
the lower carrier web below it, all of which is now situated
between seal bars 32 and 35 at station 22.
[0018] The bar seal station 22 is further illustrated in FIG. 3
wherein upper carrier web 21 is below upper seal 32 and above the
flange 33 of the male profile element 12M. The flanges 33 and 34 of
the upper and lower zipper elements being separated by guide plate
30.
[0019] As evident, when the seal bars 32, 35 converge, upper
carrier web 21 becomes sealed to male zipper flange 33 and lower
carrier web 17 becomes sealed to flange 34 of female zipper, while
the two flanges 33, 34 remain separated from each other because of
the guide plate between them, which prevents them from being sealed
together. In addition seal bars 32 and 34 are notched in the areas
of the male and female profiles so as to prevent any accidental
sealing of the profiles to each other. Downstream from seal station
22 is carrier web drive 26 which pulls the resulting carrier web 27
comprising continuous webs 17 and 21 with the intermittently spaced
zipper elements, where the male and female profile elements are
releasably interlocked together, and the male and female elements
respectively are permanently joined respectively to the upper and
lower carrier webs 21, 17.
[0020] For the sake of clarity and simplicity, FIG. 4 and other
figures herein, having certain components substantially the same as
components in FIG. 1, will use the same reference numbers for such
components. Accordingly, in FIG. 4 there is drum 11 with a
continuous supply of zipper 11Z the profile of which engages with
itself. Such profile is depicted schematically in FIG. 5 as an
array of six spaced-apart arrows, which will be discussed in
further detail later.
[0021] Downstream of drum 11 in FIG. 4 is zipper drive 13 which
directs the zipper to cutting station 14 and adjacent to tack seal
station 18 where the zipper is tack sealed to lower carrier web 17.
Thereafter, seal bar 34 secures the lower carrier web 17 to the
zipper. In this instance the heat delivered by the seal bar is
closely controlled to prevent distorting the interlocking elements.
At folding station 42 the zipper and its carrier web are folded
about their central longitudinal axis as further schematically
indicated in FIG. 6 so as to cause one half of the profile of the
zipper to interlock with the other half.
[0022] Upon complete folding, as schematically seen in FIG. 7, the
zipper now has upper and lower parts 44, 45 releasably interlocked
with carrier web above and below the folded profile.
[0023] At the end of this folding phase a cutting element 47 slices
the lower carrier web 17 and zipper flanges lengthwise so that the
zipper's upper element 44 and lower element 45 are fully separated.
After the cutting element 47, a sealing station 49 seal across the
carrier webs at a point half way between zipper element sections.
Downstream of this slicing phase is a final carrier web drive 48
which pulls the manufactured zipper product and feeds it to a spool
for later combination with bag material.
* * * * *