U.S. patent application number 11/560828 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-03 for bag for crushing objects.
This patent application is currently assigned to THE BAGCO, INC.. Invention is credited to Nossi Taheri.
Application Number | 20070098308 11/560828 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34423009 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070098308 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Taheri; Nossi |
May 3, 2007 |
Bag for crushing objects
Abstract
The invention relates to a plastic bag suitable for crushing and
dispensing an object, such as medicinal pill. The bag has an open
end, is strong enough to withstand crushing forces, and includes a
bottom seal that forms an angle of greater than 90.degree. with the
sides of the bag. For example, the bottom seal may be curved and
concave toward the open end of the bag. The bag may also include a
lip near the opening and formed by one of the bag walls The bag may
also include a gripper on any of (1) the interior or exterior
surfaces of the lip or (2) the interior or exterior surface of the
other wall. The bag may also include an indicator mark, e.g., a
colored line near the opening to serve as a visual and/or tactile
indicator for the user of the bag.
Inventors: |
Taheri; Nossi; (Atlanta,
GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WEATHERLY KERVEN & SEIGEL LLC
115 PERIMETER CENTER PLACE
SUITE 1082
ATLANTA
GA
30346-1245
US
|
Assignee: |
THE BAGCO, INC.
1650 Airport Road
Kennesaw
GA
30144
|
Family ID: |
34423009 |
Appl. No.: |
11/560828 |
Filed: |
November 16, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10684709 |
Oct 14, 2003 |
|
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11560828 |
Nov 16, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
383/107 ;
383/105; 383/121; 383/35 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 33/004 20130101;
B31B 2155/00 20170801; B31B 70/00 20170801; B65D 31/00 20130101;
B31B 70/81 20170801; A61J 7/0007 20130101; B31B 2155/003 20170801;
B31B 70/64 20170801; B31B 2160/10 20170801 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/107 ;
383/121; 383/105; 383/035 |
International
Class: |
B65D 30/00 20060101
B65D030/00; B65D 33/00 20060101 B65D033/00; B65D 30/10 20060101
B65D030/10 |
Claims
1. A bag suited for crushing an object and dispensing the crushed
object, comprising: A. a front wall of a material at least 5 mil
thick and defining a front top edge, a front first side edge, a
front second side edge, a front bottom edge, a front interior
surface, and a front exterior surface; B. a back wall of the
material of at least 5 mil thick and defining a back top edge, a
back first side edge, a back second side edge, a back bottom edge,
a back interior surface, and a back exterior surface, in which: i.
the front first side edge is connected to the back first side edge
to define a first side seal, ii. the front second side edge is
connected to the back second side edge to define a second side
seal, and iii. the front top edge and the back top edge define a
bag opening; and C. a bottom seal that: i. connects the front
interior surface to the back interior surface, ii. extends from the
front first side edge to the front second side edge, and iii.
defines: a. a first vertex with the front first side edge defining
a first angle .alpha. such that 90.degree.<first angle
.alpha.<180.degree. and b. a second vertex with the front second
side edge defining a second angle .alpha. such that
90.degree.<second angle .alpha.<180.degree..
2. The bag of claim 1 in which the first side seal and the second
side seal are at least 0.125 inches wide.
3. The bag of claim 2 in which the material includes a static
reducing agent.
4. The bag of claim 3 in which the material is low density
polyethylene.
5. The bag of claim 4, in which the back top edge is located
farther from the bottom seal than the front top edge to define a
lip portion.
6. The bag of claim 5, further comprising an indicator mark on the
bag near the bag opening.
7. The bag of claim 6 in which the indicator mark is a line
substantially parallel to the front top edge.
8. The bag of claim 6 in which the indicator mark is printed on the
bag.
9. The bag of claim 6, further comprising a gripper on the bag near
the bag opening.
10. The bag of claim 9 in which the gripper comprises a protrusion
on the surface of the bag.
11. The bag of claim 10 in which the protrusion is substantially
linear and of a length substantially equal to the distance between
the first side seal and the second side seal.
12. The bag of claim 9 in which: A. the front top edge is linear;
B. the front bottom edge is substantially parallel to the front top
edge along at least a portion of the front bottom edge; C. the back
bottom edge is linear; and D. the back bottom edge is substantially
parallel to the back top edge along at least a portion of the back
bottom edge.
13. The bag of claim 1 in which the material includes a static
reducing agent.
14. The bag of claim 1 in which the material is a low density
polyethylene.
15. The bag of claim 1 in which the back top edge is located
farther from the bottom seal than the front top edge to define a
lip portion.
16. The bag of claim 1, further comprising an indicator mark on the
bag near the bag opening.
17. The bag of claim 16 in which the indicator mark is a line
substantially parallel to the front top edge.
18. The bag of claim 16 in which the indicator mark is printed on
the bag.
19. The bag of claim 1, further comprising a gripper on the bag
near the bag opening.
20. The bag of claim 19 in which the gripper comprises a protrusion
on the surface of the bag.
21. The bag of claim 20 in which the protrusion is substantially
linear and of a length substantially equal to the distance between
the first side seal and the second side seal.
22. The bag of claim 1 in which: A. the front top edge is linear,
B. the front bottom edge is substantially parallel to the front top
edge along at least a portion of the front bottom edge; C. the back
bottom edge is linear; and D. the back bottom edge is substantially
parallel to the back top edge along at least a portion of the back
bottom edge.
23. A bag suitable for crushing an object and dispensing the
crushed object, comprising: A. a front wall; B. a back wall; C.
means for sealing the respective side edges of the front wall and
the back wall to each other; D. means for sealing the respective
interior surfaces of the front wall and the back wall near the
respective bottom edges of the front wall and the back wall; E.
means for indicating the open end of the bag; and F. means for
gripping a surface of the bag.
Description
I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to containers used in crushing
or otherwise reducing medicine from pill or tablet form to powder
form and methods to manufacture such containers. More particularly,
it relates to plastic bags used to contain the medicine during the
crushing process and a method to manufacture such plastic bags.
[0002] It is widely known that many people have difficultly
swallowing a pill or tablet regardless of size. As a result, such
people often crush pills into a powder to make the medicine easier
to take. Once crushed the user may mix the powdered medicine with a
liquid, food, or another substance to make the medicine easier to
take, or the user may simply consume the powder directly. Although
crushing a pill may render medicine easier to ingest, it has
disadvantages including losing or contaminating a portion of the
dose while crushing the pill To avoid losing or contaminating the
medicine while crushing a pill, users often place the pill between
two layers of material such as cloth, paper, or plastic before
crushing it. For example, the two layers of material can be the
sides of a plastic bag. Once the pill is positioned between layers
of material, the user may crush the pill by using a hard object to
apply pressure to the surface of the pill until the pill breaks
into pieces. The user continues applying pressure until the pill is
pulverized into sufficiently small granules. Such methods for
crushing pills typically cause the user to lose a portion of the
pill. For example, some of the pill may be embedded in the layers
of material used to contain the pill or lodged in the corner of the
plastic bag or other container. During the process of crushing the
pill, it may also get contaminated with dirt, bacteria, or other
undesirable substances introduced by the material used to contain
the pill, the objects used to apply the pressure, or the objects
used to retrieve the crushed pill from the materials used to
contain the pill. Additional disadvantages include possible injury
during the crushing process, and other possible physical hazards
stemming from pieces of the crushed object acting as a
projectile,
[0003] A conventional method of crushing one or more pills involves
positioning the pill inside a polyethylene bag having an open end
and walls of the same size and shape. When using such a bag to
contain a pill for crushing, a portion of the crushed pill
typically lodges in the lower corners of the bag and remains
difficult to retrieve without significant additional effort. A
portion of the crushed pill also adheres to the interior surfaces
of the walls of the bag, for example, because of a small static
charge that is typically present on the surface of a plastic bag or
that can be generated by the crushing process As a result, the
entire dose of the pill may not be available for ingestion.
II. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The inventor has developed a bag that addresses the
disadvantages described above and minimizes the amount of medicine
lost or contaminated when crushing a pill. A bag according to the
convention has a front wall and a back wall as depicted in FIG. 4.
Each wall has a first side edge, a second side edge, a top edge,
and a bottom edge. The respective bottom edges, first side edges,
and second side edges of the front and back walls are connected to
create an interior region. Although the front and back walls of a
bag according to the invention can be made from various plastic
materials, low density polyethylene (LDPE) is suitable and approved
by the FDA for containing food and medicine. The walls are
preferably at least 6 mil thick to withstand without failing the
forces applied during crushing. However, any thickness of the bag
walls that withstands the forces applied during crushing is
sufficient. The seal at the bottom of the bag defines an angle
.alpha. inside the bag interior of greater than 90.degree. and less
than 180.degree. with each of the side edges of the bag. Increasing
the angle .alpha. beyond 90.degree. reduces the amount of crushed,
powdered material that may remain lodged in the bag during
dispensing. A preferred minimum angle .alpha. is 120.degree.. This
bottom seal can be curved with the concave side facing the top
(open end of the bag) as shown in FIG. 4. Alternatively, the bottom
seal may be defined as a series of two or more connected linear
segments (not illustrated) arranged so that the angle .alpha. on
each side of the bag is greater than 90.degree. and less than
180.degree. and all angles between any two connected segments is
also greater than 90.degree. and less than 180.degree..
[0005] The bag according to the invention may also incorporate
several additional features that facilitate its use. For example,
to maximize the proportion of crushed material that can be
extracted reliably from the bag, the walls may be made with a
material that includes an additive or interior coating that
minimizes static charge, reduces friction between the interior
walls and the contents of the bag or both. Such anti-static and
anti-friction additives are commercially available and known. The
free top edge of the back wall may extend beyond the free top edge
of the front wall to form a lip that makes the bag easier to open
by providing a part of the bag that the user can grasp easily when
the bag is closed. This lip may also include a gripper portion
defined by features on the interior, exterior, or both surfaces of
the lip (or the front and/or back walls near the opening) to assist
further the user in opening the bag. For example, gripper portion
is illustrated in FIG. 4 as one or more gripper lines that protrude
from the exterior surface of the lip and extend approximately
parallel to the top edge of the back wall. Alternatively, the
gripper portion may be a texture that is embossed or printed upon
the interior and/or exterior surfaces of the lip (or the front
and/or back walls of the bag if no lip is present). Placing the
gripper portion on the exterior of the bag allows the crushed
material to be poured from the bag across the lip without
obstruction. To assist in aligning, registering, or orienting the
bag in a pill crushing device, the bottom edge of the bag may
extend beyond the bottom seal and away from the open top edge of
the bag as depicted in FIG. 4 to form a flat bottom edge. The bag
may also include relatively wide sealed seams that extend along at
least portions of the first and second side edges. A preferred
width of 0.125 inches or more causes the bag to open more readily
when the user grasps the sides of the bag and squeezes them
together. These seams also increase the strength of the sides of
the bag to prevent bursting when pressure is applied to crush a
pill. A bag according to the invention may also include an
indicator mark to permit a quick visual identification of the
unsealed edge of the bag. For example, the indicator mark may be an
integrally extruded line of material near the open end of the bag
(which may be colored) as depicted in FIG. 4. Alternatively, the
indicator mark may be pressed or printed near the top edge of
either wall. Either of these two types of indicator marks may
further ease the opening of the bag when the user squeezes the
sides of the open end of the bag together.
[0006] The foregoing general description and the following detailed
description are exemplary and explanatory only and do not restrict
the claims directed to the invention. The accompanying drawings,
which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this
specification, illustrate one embodiment of the invention and
together with the description, serve to explain the principles of
the invention.
III. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an extrusion system used to
make a bag according to the invention,
[0008] FIG. 2 is a perspective view from above of an die assembly
suitable for making a bag according to the invention with the
system shown in FIG. 1.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a representative section of
material taken from a tubular film extruded through the die
assembly of FIG. 2.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a frontal perspective view of a first embodiment
of a bag according to the invention.
[0011] FIG. 5 Is a schematic cross-sectional view of the bag
illustrated in FIG. 4 taken along lines 5-5.
[0012] FIG. 6 is a schematic frontal perspective view of a tubular
film extruded from the extrusion die assembly of FIG. 2 after it
has been cut longitudinally and folded into a J-shaped
configuration and depicting one method of making side seams on the
bag of FIG. 4.
[0013] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the tubular film illustrated
in FIG. 6 depicting one method of making the curved bottom seal on
the bag of FIG. 4.
IV. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] This application refers in detail below to the exemplary
embodiments of the bag according to the invention, which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the
application uses the same reference numbers throughout the drawings
to refer to the same or similar items,
[0015] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system suitable for
manufacturing bags according to the invention. Raw material such as
FDA-approved, food-grade, LDPE resin is fed into the intake 10 of
an extrusion machine 11, which melts the raw material and extrudes
it through a die assembly 12 to create a tubular film 30. After
exiting the die assembly 12, the tubular film 30 is cooled, for
example, by the blower 17 and rolled onto a spool 18. Die assembly
12 shown in FIG. 2 is configured to include one or more notches 40
so that the tubular film 30, shown in FIG. 3, includes one or more
longitudinal ridges 31 (e.g., two ridges are illustrated in FIG.
1), which eventually constitute gripper 51 on the finished bag.
Additionally, a secondary extrusion head 14 to add a strip 32 to
the tubular film 30 (or ridges 31 or any other feature
appropriately applied longitudinally on tubular film 30). The strip
32 is made of a thermoplastic material compatible with the bag
walls (preferably colored LDPE) in that it is capable of binding to
or melting into the material used to form the tubular film 31.
Eventually, strip 32 constitutes the indicator mark 52 shown in
FIG. 4 on the finished bag.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a perspective view from above of the die assembly
12 that is suitable for making a bag according to the invention
with the system shown in FIG. 1. The melted raw material from the
extrusion machine in FIG. 1 is forced between the inner plate 20
and the outer plate 21 of die assembly 12. Longitudinal channels 40
protrude substantially radially outward on outer plate 21 form
ridges 31 on the exterior surface of tubular film 30. Channels (not
illustrated) that are similar to channels 40 may be added (or
substituted for channels 40 on outer plate 21) to protrude
substantially radially inward on inner plate 20 to form ridges on
the inner surface of tubular film 30. Die assembly 12 also includes
an aperture 22 that permits pressurized air (or some other gas as
required) to be injected into the interior of the tubular film 30
as it exits the die assembly 12. Injecting air or gas through
aperture 22 helps to maintain the thickness of the walls of tubular
film 30 and the generally circular cylindrical shape of tubular
film 30.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a representative section of
material taken from the tubular film 30 extruded through the die
assembly 12 of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 illustrates the tubular film 30
including ridges 31, which constitute gripper 51 in the finished
bag 50. FIG. 3 also illustrates the strip 32, which constitutes the
indicator mark 52 on the finished bag. Also shown in FIG. 3 is cut
line 33, which represents the line along which tubular film 30 is
longitudinally cut to define the top edges of the finished bag.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a frontal perspective view of an embodiment of a
bag 50 according to the invention. The bag 50 includes a back wall
58 and a front wall 59 that are joined by the side seals 56 along
side edges 60 and 61 and the bottom seal 62 near bottom edge 57 to
define an interior with an opening 54, which is located at the top
of the bag 50 shown in FIG. 4. Back wall 58 extends farther from
the bottom seal 62 than the front wall 59 to define a lip 53
extending beyond the top edge 55 of front wall 59. The lip 53
provides the user a convenient handling point for identifying the
open end 54, opening the bag 50, and orienting the opening 54 of
the bag 50. The front wall 59 and back wall 58 are sufficiently
thick (at least about 5 mil and preferably at least about 6 mil) to
enable the walls to withstand the forces applied when a user
crushes a pill or other object in the interior of the bag 50. The
thickness of the front and back walls also facilitates opening the
bag 50 along substantially its entire length when opening 54 is
opened. In turn, opening the bag along its entire length increases
the likelihood that the user will be able to dispense substantially
all the crushed material from the interior of the bag.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, seals 56 are relatively wide seams along
the first side edge 60 and the second side edge 61. The use of wide
seals, while not strictly necessary, further enhances the user's
ability to open bag 50 along substantially its entire length. These
wide seals also enhance the bag's ability to withstand pressures
applied while crushing a pill. Seals 56 are preferably at least
about 0.125 inch wide.
[0020] The bottom seal 62 illustrated in FIG. 4 intersects with
each of side edges 60 and 61 and defines a vertex at each
intersection. The angles a defined by these vertices (or "corners")
is greater than 90.degree. and less than 180.degree. (with a
preferred angle of at least 120.degree.), to minimize the tendency
of crushed material to lodge in these "corners" of the interior of
bag 50. While seal 62 is substantially continuously curved between
these corners, other geometries for seal 62 are acceptable. For
example, seal 62 may be formed as a series of two or more connected
linear segments (not illustrated) arranged so that the angles
.alpha. are greater than 90.degree. and less than 180.degree. and
all angles defined by the vertices formed by any two connected
linear segments are also greater than 90.degree. and less than
180.degree.. A curved seal 62, as shown, is preferred because it
minimizes the number of vertices formed along the seal 62, which
therefore also minimizes the amount of crushed material that lodges
in such vertices.
[0021] Gripper 51 is illustrated on the exterior surface of lip 53
allowing easy handling and opening of the bag. The gripper 51
provides tactile feedback and improve friction between the user's
fingers and the lip, which assists the user in opening the bag.
While gripper 51 is shown in the exterior surface of the lip 53 on
the back wall 58, it may also be located on the interior surface of
the lip 53, the interior surface of the front wall 59, the exterior
surface of the front wall 59, or any combination of all four
surfaces. The gripper is illustrated as two parallel lines, which
originated as ridges 31 in the manufacturing process. While the
number of ridges 31 affects the functional effectiveness of gripper
51, it is possible for any number of ridges 31 to serve as a
gripper. Alternatively, the geometry of the gripper 51 need not be
as shown in FIG. 4. For example, gripper 51 may be a series of
dots, dashes, or some other shape different from the substantially
parallel ridges 31 shown. Additionally, the gripper may be added to
bag 50 via a variety of methods other than the direct extrusion of
ridges 31 on tubular film 30 described in connection with FIGS.
1-3. For example, the gripper may be added by a separate extrusion
head like secondary extrusion head 14 or by a type of printing
process that deposits and binds material on the surface of the bag
in the appropriate locations.
[0022] The bag shown in FIG. 4 also includes the optional indicator
mark 52 that is positioned near opening 54. The indicator mark may
be imprinted on a surface of the front wall 59 or back wall 58 or
incorporated as additional thermoplastic material that is
incorporated into (e.g., by being integrally extruded) or onto
(e.g., by being separately extruded) one of these surfaces. The
indicator mark 52 (e.g., a colored line that is substantially
parallel to the edge defining the open end of the bag) provides a
visual cue that further aids the user in identifying the opening 54
of the bag 50. The indicator mark 52 if formed of additional
material rather than being imprinted on the bag 50 also provides a
tactile cue and adds stiffness to the portion of front wall 59 near
opening 54. This added stiffness enhances the ease with which the
user can open bag 50 to dispense crushed material inside bag 50.
The thickness added by an extruded version of indicator mark 52
increases the ease of producing a sufficiently wide opening when
side edges 60 and 61 are squeezed toward each other.
[0023] The bag 50 shown also includes a bottom 57 edge, which is
typically closed if bag 50 is formed using the system described
above. However, bottom edge 57 need not be closed. To assist in
aligning, registering, or orienting the bag in a pill crushing
device, the bottom edge 57 may extend in a direction away from the
opening 54 and beyond the bottom seal 62 to form a flat bottom edge
as depicted in FIG. 4. However, the geometry of bottom edge 57
could be altered as desired to match geometry of a pill crushing
device. For example, the bottom edge 57 could have a shape (not
illustrated) that is concave downward (with reference to FIG. 4).
Such a shape could mate with a complementary mounting surface in a
pill crushing device to ensure precise registration of the bag in
the device by tending to cause the bag to center itself on the
complementary mounting surface. The shape of bottom edge 57 may
also be altered to create a desired aesthetic effect.
[0024] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the bag 50
illustrated in FIG. 4 taken along lines 5-5. The figure illustrates
aspects of the gripper 51, an indicator mark 52 made of added
material rather than being imprinted, and lip 53.
[0025] FIG. 6 is a schematic frontal perspective view of a tubular
film 30 extruded from the extrusion die assembly of FIG. 2 after it
has been cut longitudinally along cut line 33 and folded into a
J-shaped configuration. FIG. 6 further illustrates the manner in
which wide seals 56 shown in FIG. 4 are made as heat seams 70 that
are spaced apart with desired spacing W (measured from center to
center of adjacent sealed portions of the tubing 30). When tubular
film 30 is cut along cut line 33 and folded into the J-shape shown
in FIG. 6, the fold at the bottom of the film defines the front
wall 59 and back wall 58. The fold is located such that the edge 63
of back wall 58 is farther from the fold than the edge 64 of front
wall 59 to define a back wall 58 that is taller than front wall 59.
The difference in height between back wall 58 and front wall 59
defines the height of the lip 53. Also shown in FIG. 6 are gripper
51 and indicator mark 52.
[0026] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the J-shaped film 30
illustrated in FIG. 6 depicting a method of making the curved
bottom seal 62 shown on the bag 50 illustrated in FIG. 4. Heat
seams 80 are formed as shown to bind front wall 59 to the back wall
58 and close the what will become the bottom of bag 50 shown in
FIG. 4. Cut lines 82, also separated by spacing W, are preferably
located to coincide with the vertical (as shown in FIG. 6)
centerline of heat seams 70. The J-shaped film 30 is cut along cut
lines 82 to form the individual bags. Heat seams 80 may be formed
in the J-shaped film 30 before or after the J-shaped film 30 is cut
along cut lines 82. However, it is preferred to form heat seams 80
before the cutting operation because it is easier to precisely
register the J-shaped film 30 in the heat sealing machine than to
register individual bags.
[0027] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made in the embodiments of a
bag according to the invention and methods of making such a bag
that are described above without departing from the scope or spirit
of the invention. Therefore, other embodiments of the invention
will be apparent to those skilled in the art from their
consideration of the specification and practice of the invention
disclosed above. The applicant intends that the specification and
examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and
spirit of the invention being indicated by the following
claims.
* * * * *