U.S. patent application number 11/160237 was filed with the patent office on 2006-12-21 for re-sealable bag.
Invention is credited to Adam Anthony Golas.
Application Number | 20060285779 11/160237 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37573402 |
Filed Date | 2006-12-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060285779 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Golas; Adam Anthony |
December 21, 2006 |
RE-SEALABLE BAG
Abstract
A re-sealable bag has two sides when laid flat and a bottom and
an open top. The bag is made of a flexible material and has at
least two wires fixed to it. The wires extend in a direction
between the top and the bottom. The wires are not parallel to each
other or to the sides of the bag when they are on the same side of
the bag.
Inventors: |
Golas; Adam Anthony;
(Bloomington, IN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
RICHARD D. FUERLE
1711 W. RIVER RD.
GRAND ISLAND
NY
14072
US
|
Family ID: |
37573402 |
Appl. No.: |
11/160237 |
Filed: |
June 15, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
383/90 ;
383/905 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 33/165 20130101;
B65D 33/1658 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/090 ;
383/905 |
International
Class: |
B65D 33/16 20060101
B65D033/16 |
Claims
1. A re-sealable bag having two parallel sides when laid flat, a
bottom, and an open top, comprising a flexible material having at
least two wires fixed thereto that extend in a direction between
said top and said bottom, where said wires are not perpendicular to
said sides and are non-parallel to each other and to said sides
when they are on the same side of said bag.
2. A re-sealable bag according to claim 3 wherein said at least two
wires are about 20 to about 25 gauge.
3. A re-sealable bag according to claim 1 wherein there are exactly
two wires fixed to said flexible material.
4. A re-sealable bag according to claim 3 wherein said two wires
are both on the same side of said bag and intersect at least
twice.
5. A re-sealable bag according to claim 4 wherein two intersecting
wires are bonded together at the points where they intersect.
6. A re-sealable bag according to claim 4 wherein said two
intersecting wires form a pattern of conjoined diamonds.
7. A re-sealable bag according to claim 6 wherein said two wires
intersect about every 1 to 3 inches.
8. A re-sealable bag according to claim 3 wherein said two wires
are on the same side of said bag but do not intersect.
9. A re-sealable bag according to claim 3 wherein said two wires
are on opposite sides of said bag and are parallel to each other
and to said sides.
10. A re-sealable bag according to claim 1 wherein said wires are
on the inside of said bag.
11. A re-sealable bag according to claim 1 wherein said wires are
on the outside of said bag.
12. A re-sealable bag according to claim 1 wherein said wires are
enclosed in plastic.
13. A re-sealable bag according to claim 1 wherein said flexible
material is plastic.
14. A re-sealable bag according to claim 1 wherein said flexible
material is paper.
15. A re-sealable bag according to claim 1 wherein when said bag is
laid flat it forms a rectangle that is about 3 to about 12 inches
wide and about 8 to about 18 inches long.
16. A re-sealable bag according to claim 1 wherein said wires are
taped to said flexible material.
17. A re-sealable bag according to claim 1 wherein said wires
extend from the top of said bag to the bottom of said bag.
18. A re-sealable bag according to claim 1 wherein said wires
extend from about 2 to about 3 inches from the top of said bag to
about 2 to about 3 inches from the bottom of said bag.
19. A re-sealable bag forming a rectangle when laid flat that has
two parallel sides, a bottom, and an open top, comprising a
flexible material having two non-parallel wires fixed to one side
that extend in a direction between said top and said bottom, where
said wires intersect about 3 to about 12 times and form a pattern
of conjoined diamonds.
20. A re-sealable bag forming a rectangle when laid flat that has
two parallel sides, a bottom, and an open top, comprising a
flexible material having two parallel wires, one fixed to each
side, where said wires extend in a direction between said top and
said bottom.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a flexible bag that can be
repeatedly opened and resealed. In particular, it relates to a bag
that has at least two wires fixed to at least one side of a bag
that are not parallel when they are on the same side of the
bag.
[0002] Many dry, solid products, such as snack foods and cereal,
are sold in flexible plastic bags. Since all of the product within
the bag may not be used when the bag is initially opened, it is
necessary to close and re-seal the bag. Sealing the bag helps to
preserve the freshness of the product, prevents it from
accidentally coming out of the bag, and prevents contaminants,
insects, and vermin from going into the bag.
[0003] Bags may be manufactured with a variety of different types
of seals. For example, some plastic bags have plastic zippers
("Zip-Loc"), where a protuberance on one side of the bag is pressed
into a groove on the other side of the bag. While this provides a
tight seal, it is sometimes difficult to line up the protuberance
with the groove and it is difficult to seal the bag without using
both hands.
[0004] Other bags are sealed with wire ties that are stuck at one
spot to the neck of the bag or are supplied with the bag. To seal
the bag, the neck is twisted, the tie is bent around the twisted
neck, and the ends of the tie are twisted together. However,
sometimes the tie can fall off the bag and become lost. Also, the
tie is at a fixed location on the neck and cannot be easily moved
down the neck as the bag is emptied. Thus, if the bag is almost
empty it will still be sealed at the top of the bag, enclosing an
unnecessary amount of air within the bag, which will make the
product become stale faster.
[0005] Bags can also be sealed using clamps or clips that are
separately purchased. These require rolling up or folding up the
opening of the bag, then applying the clamp or clip to the folded
portion. Alternatively, the neck of the bag can be twisted and
several loops of a rubber band can be placed over the neck.
However, clamps, clips, and rubber bands may not always be
available, especially if the bag is opened at a remote location,
such as on a hike or while camping. Also, when a clamp or clip is
used, the bag cannot be sealed by twisting the neck, which may be a
more desirable seal for some bags.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] I have invented a re-sealable bag that is inexpensive and
comes with a built-in seal. The seal consists of at least two wires
that extend at least partly between the top and the bottom of the
bag. The wires on any one side of the bag are not parallel (as they
are, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,636), which keeps the bag
rolled-up tightly across its entire width, not just at the
positions of the wires. It is also easier to roll up the bag when
the wires are not parallel because the wires do not form two bulky
coils of wire as they do when they are parallel. Rather, the wires
in the rolled-up bag are spread out across the bag.
[0007] The wires may be fixed along their entire length to the bag,
so they cannot come off the bag or become lost. Also, they may be
enclosed in plastic so that they do not come into contact with the
contents of the bag. Unlike prior seals, the re-sealable bag of
this invention is unique in that it can be sealed either by
twisting the neck of the bag or by rolling up or folding up the
neck.
[0008] While prior bags require several steps to seal, the bag of
this invention can be more quickly sealed, in a single step. For
example, bags sealed with ties require two twisting motions, one to
twist the neck of the bag and the other to twist the tie, while the
re-sealable bag of this invention can be sealed with only a single
twist of the neck. Sealing the bag by rolling up or folding up the
neck also requires only a single step and there is no need to
search for and apply a clamp, clip, or rubber band. Unlike bags
sealed with a tie stuck to the neck of the bag, the bag of this
invention can be sealed anywhere along the length of the wires.
Thus, if the bag is almost empty, the neck can be twisted near the
bottom of the bag, or rolled up to the bottom of the bag, to
exclude most of the air and preserve the contents for a longer
time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a side view of a certain presently preferred
embodiment of a laid flat re-sealable paper bag according to this
invention having two wires crossed in a diamond pattern and fixed
to the outside of one side of the bag.
[0010] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the bag shown in FIG. 1,
after it has been filled and sealed by rolling up the top.
[0011] FIG. 3 is an isometric view of another certain presently
preferred embodiment of a re-sealable bag according to this
invention having two non-parallel wires fixed to the inside of one
side of the bag, where the bag is sealed by rolling up the top.
[0012] FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a further certain presently
preferred embodiment of a re-sealable plastic bag according to this
invention having two parallel wires on opposing sides of the bag,
where the bag is sealed by twisting the top.
[0013] FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a still further certain
presently preferred embodiment of a re-sealable plastic bag
according to this invention for holding bagels that has two
non-parallel wires on opposing sides of the bag.
[0014] FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the bag shown in FIG. 5,
after it has been sealed by twisting the neck of the bag.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0015] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, re-sealable bag 1 is made of
paper, but it may also be made of other flexible materials, such as
plastic, cloth, or net-like materials. Bag 1 may have a variety of
shapes and sizes, but it is preferably rectangular in shape when it
is laid flat (FIG. 1). Bag 1 has two opposing parallel sides 2 and
3 and a parallel top 4 and bottom 5. Bag 1 is open only at top 4,
and the opening at top 4 is preferably the same width as sides 2
and 3. While this invention is applicable to bags of almost any
size and shape, it is particularly suited for bags that are
rectangular when laid flat, where the distance between top 4 and
bottom 5 is about 8 to about 18 inches and the distance between the
two edges 6 is about 3 to about 12 inches.
[0016] Fixed to bag 1 by means of adhesive tape 7 are at least two
wires 8 that extend in a direction between top 4 and bottom 5.
Preferably, exactly 2 wires are used as one wire is not adequate to
form a good seal and more than 2 wires are usually unnecessary.
Wires 8 may be fixed to the outside of the bag, as shown in FIGS. 1
and 2, but are preferably fixed to the inside of the bag (FIG. 4)
so that they do not interfere with the design on the outside of the
bag and are less noticeable. Wires 8 are preferably fixed to bag 1
along their entire length, not just at a single location, so that
they adhere to the material of the bag and force it to conform to
the shape the wires are bent to when the bag is closed.
[0017] Wires 8 should be capable of being repeatedly bent and
un-bent without breaking so that bag 1 can be repeatedly opened and
re-sealed. Wires 8 should bend easily, with little force, and
should hold the position they are bent to without springing back to
the un-bent position. Wires having a gauge between about 20 to
about 25 are usually suitable, with the heavier gauges being used
for heavier bags. The preferred wire is 24 gauge floral wire
(Hillman), which is used to support flower arrangements, as it
works very well for most bag sizes. Steel wires are preferred, but
wires made of other materials, such as copper, aluminum, alloys,
etc. may also be used. The wires are preferably insulated or
enclosed in plastic so that they cannot be contacted by users or by
the contents of the bag.
[0018] Wires 8 may extend along the length of bag 1 from opening 4
at the top of the bag all the way to the bottom of the bag, as
shown in FIG. 3. Preferably, to save on wire and prevent the
consumer from contacting the ends of the wires, wires 8 are spaced
about 2 to about 3 inches from the top and bottom of the bag, as
shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4.
[0019] The bag may be sealed by rolling up the top of the bag, as
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, or by twisting the top of the bag, as shown
in FIG. 4. If the bag is to be sealed by rolling up the top of the
bag, the wires are preferably on one side of the bag and are not
parallel to either edges 6 of the bag or to each other. Wires that
are not parallel wires may also be in an "X" pattern or in other
patterns. If the bag is to be sealed by twisting the top of the
bag, as shown in FIG. 4, the wires are preferably on opposing sides
2 and 3 of the bag, are parallel to edges 6 and to each other, and
are equally spaced apart so that the same amount of bag material is
in between them. In all the bags of this invention, the wires are
not perpendicular to the sides of the bag. That is, the wires are
either (1) diagonal to the sides or (2) they are parallel to the
sides if they are on opposite sides.
[0020] For the pattern of conjoined diamonds shown in FIGS. 1 and
2, the wires intersect at least twice and preferably intersect
about 3 to about 12 times. The wires preferably extend to within
about 2 to about 4 inches of edges 6 in order to force most of the
material of the bag into the desired shape when the bag is closed.
Also, the crossing points of the wires are preferably about 1 to
about 3 inches apart and preferably extend the same distance apart
vertically as they do horizontally, so that the diamonds are
squares. A pattern of intersecting wires may also use curved wires,
where the two wires have sinusoidal shapes that are 180 degrees out
of phase. For added strength and support, the wires are preferably
bonded to each other at their crossing points. This may be
accomplished by gluing, welding, soldering, melting the insulation
on the wires, or other means.
[0021] In FIG. 3, re-sealable bag 9 has two non-parallel wires 10
in a "/\" pattern that extend all the way from the bottom 11 of bag
9 to top 12. (A "\/" pattern may also be used but the "/\" pattern
seals more easily.) Wires 12 are fixed along their entire length to
the inside of bag 9 by means of tape 13. Bag 9 is sealed by rolling
up the top of the bag. Because wires 10 are not parallel, they do
not form bulky coils when the top is rolled up and the wires cover
a wider area of the bag.
[0022] In FIG. 4, re-sealable plastic bag 1 4 is suitable for
holding a product such as bread. Two opposing parallel wires 15 and
16 are fused directly into the plastic material of bag 14. Bag 14
is sealed by twisting neck 17 of the bag.
[0023] In FIGS. 5 and 6, re-sealable plastic bag 18, holding bagels
19, has two non-parallel wires 20 and 21 fused into the plastic
material of the bag. It is sealed in FIG. 6 by twisting neck
22.
[0024] Resealable bag 1 may be made in a variety of ways. For
example, for a paper bag the wires may be embedded within the paper
when the paper is manufactured or they may be bonded to the paper
at a later stage by gluing, adhesive, or tape. For plastic bags
that are two ply, the wires may be placed in between the plies. The
wires can also be made with a low temperature insulation on them
that can be heat bonded to a plastic bag. Other manufacturing
methods will also no doubt occur to those skilled in the art.
[0025] The bags may be used for containing various solid food
items, such as potato chips, pretzels, cereal, bread, pet food,
sugar, and flour, as well as non-food items, such as mortar mix,
fertilizer, potting soil, salt, etc. Since the wires effectively
seal the bags, the bags will not normally have any other types of
seals on them other than the wires.
[0026] The following example further illustrates this
invention:
EXAMPLE
[0027] Two 24 gauge steel floral wires (Hillman) in various
patterns were taped to the outside of plastic bags with 2 inch wide
clear adhesive tape. A pattern of conjoined diamonds was made by
hammering alternating rows of nails into a board, winding wires
back and forth between the nails, and carefully removing the wires.
The following table describes the various bags and patterns that
were made and tested: TABLE-US-00001 Bag Number Pattern Sample Size
of bags Pattern Size 1 8 .times. 14'' 3 Diamond 1.5 .times. 14'' 2
8 .times. 14'' 2 "/ \" 6 .times. 14'' 3 8 .times. 14'' 2 "\ /" 6
.times. 14'' 4 6 .times. 12'' 3 "X" 3 .times. 12'' 5 8 .times. 16''
3 "/" "\"* 4 .times. 16'' 6 7 .times. 15'' 4 Parallel* 7 8 .times.
14'' 3 Parallel *wires placed on opposite sides of the bag.
[0028] Bags Sealed by Rolling Up the Top
[0029] All of the bags maintained their shape and re-sealed after
repeated openings and closings. The bags in samples 1 to 3 were
filled with pretzels and the bags in sample 4 were filled with
coffee. The bags were sealed by folding up the top, then they were
unsealed and re-sealed again 30 times without the wires breaking or
coming off the bag. The closed bags turned upside down, and shaken.
The bags did not open and the contents of the bags did no come out
of the bags despite the shaking.
[0030] Sample 1 and 2 bags were easily opened and closed with one
hand, since the wires were placed closer together in the middle of
the bags. However, sample 3, 4, and 7 bags required more effort to
close, since the wires were widely spaced apart.
[0031] The bags in sample 1 to 4 minimized the exposure of the
contents of the bags to atmospheric air and eliminated the need for
a clip or any other external closure device. The sample 1 to 4 bags
also decreased the rate at which food in the bags became stale in a
humid environment.
[0032] The diamond pattern (sample 1 bags) was superior to all the
other patterns as the diamond segments were easy to handle and
fold. The diamond segments continually reinforced and complemented
one another when the bags were closed and opened. This pattern
produced the strongest seal in the center of the bag. The crossing
wires of the bags in sample 1 reinforced one another throughout
repeated use, which helped the wires to maintain their opened and
closed positions. The parallel wires (sample 7) must work
independently. The crossing wires (samples 1 and 4) and the
nonparallel wires (samples 2 and 3) increased the surface area of
the bag that is directly controlled by the wires, which in turn
provided a superior seal. The parallel wires (sample 7) acted
directly on only a very small portion of the bag. The bags with
crossed wires (sample 1) were easier to close than the bags with
parallel wires (sample 7), and opened much easier because the wires
reinforced one another at the center of the bag. The bags with
crossed wires (sample 1) folded much more easily, and the diamond
segments were easy to handle. The samples were rated based on the
quality of the seal and the ease of closing in the order:
1>2>4>3>7.
[0033] Bags Sealed by Twisting
[0034] The bags in samples 5 and 6 were each filled with a loaf of
bread, sealed by twisting, then unsealed, and re-sealed 20 times
without the wires breaking or coming off the bags. Sample 5 and 6
bags provided an air-tight seal which completely secured the
contents from the external environment. In another test, empty bags
filled with air were closed tightly, and left sitting. After
forty-eight hours, the bags remained sealed and inflated with air.
The bags in samples 5 and 6 also reduced the rate at which food
within the bags became stale, especially in humid environment.
Sample 5 and 6 bags maintained a seal even when the bags were hung
by their twisted necks. The bags in samples 5 and 6 can be sealed
in one third the time it takes to seal a bag with an external
tie.
* * * * *