U.S. patent application number 11/515982 was filed with the patent office on 2008-03-13 for plastic bag roll.
This patent application is currently assigned to TRACY PRODUCTIONS, LLC. Invention is credited to Anthony S. Tracy, Benjamin C. Tran.
Application Number | 20080063317 11/515982 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39169786 |
Filed Date | 2008-03-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080063317 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tracy; Anthony S. ; et
al. |
March 13, 2008 |
Plastic bag roll
Abstract
A roll of plastic bags having integral handles which can also be
used to close each bag. The bags are formed as a continuous web of
folded and flattened bags each joined to a longitudinally
contiguous bag by a perforated severance line. The handles are
defined by a cut-out region so that separation of the bags is
effected by tearing the line of perforations only across a
relatively short length.
Inventors: |
Tracy; Anthony S.; (New
York, NY) ; Tran; Benjamin C.; (Warren, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DAVID L. DAVIS, ESQ.
90 WASHINGTON VALLEY ROAD
BEDMINSTER
NJ
07921
US
|
Assignee: |
TRACY PRODUCTIONS, LLC
|
Family ID: |
39169786 |
Appl. No.: |
11/515982 |
Filed: |
September 5, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
383/8 ;
383/37 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 33/002
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/8 ;
383/37 |
International
Class: |
B65D 33/10 20060101
B65D033/10; B65D 30/00 20060101 B65D030/00 |
Claims
1. A roll of plastic bags formed as a continuous web of folded and
flattened bags each joined to a longitudinally contiguous bag by a
perforated severance line, wherein: the web is formed from a
tubular plastic strip having a central longitudinal axis; the sides
of the strip are tucked in to form two equal inward folds reducing
the width of the strip by one half; the reduced width strip is
folded in half along the central longitudinal axis so that there
are eight layers of plastic material; the severance lines are
parallel one to the other and are equally spaced along the strip;
the severance lines are orthogonal to the central longitudinal axis
of the strip; a pair of parallel heat seal lines flank each of the
severance lines, wherein a first of the heat seal lines extends
through all eight layers of the plastic material and a second of
the heat seal lines is formed of two heat seal lines each of which
extends through a respective four contiguous layers of the plastic
material; and there is a cut-out region through the eight layers
which extends from the central longitudinal axis along each
severance line a first predetermined distance and then
substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis a second
predetermined distance past the second heat seal line and then back
to the central longitudinal axis; whereby each first heat seal line
is effective to seal the bottom of a respective bag, and each
cut-out region and respective adjacent second heat seal line is
effective to form a pair of handles of a respective bag.
2. The roll according to claim 1 wherein the first predetermined
distance is greater than one-half the width of the reduced width
strip after it has been folded in half.
3. The roll according to claim 2 wherein the second predetermined
distance is greater than the first predetermined distance.
4. The roll according to claim 1 wherein the two heat seal lines of
the second heat seal line are co-linear.
5. A plastic bag formed from a folded tubular plastic strip,
comprising: a closed bottom end including a heat seal line
extending through eight layers of folded plastic strip; and an open
top end having a pair of spaced handles each having a respective
heat seal line extending through a respective four contiguous
layers of folded plastic strip, the handles being separated by a
cut-out region so that the handles extend past an opening in the
top end of the bag.
6. The plastic bag according to claim 5 wherein the cut-out region
is substantially rectangular.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to plastic bags which are provided on
a roll to be dispensed one at a time and, more particularly, to
such a bag which is formed with unitary handles which are also
usable for closing the bag.
[0002] Conventionally, plastic bags used for holding trash or the
like are manufactured by extruding a tube of plastic material,
expanding the tube with air before the plastic has set, flattening
the tube, forming transverse heat seals and adjacent perforations
at equally spaced intervals, and longitudinally folding and/or
rolling up the flattened tube for storage and transport in a
dispensing carton. The bags are removed one at a time from the
dispensing carton by tearing them off the roll at the
perforations.
[0003] When such a bag is filled, it is necessary to close it by
utilizing a separate tie. The use of a separate tie is
disadvantageous for a number of reasons. It is necessary to hold
the bag closed with one hand while applying the tie with the other
hand. The ties must be stored separately and can be misplaced. With
overly full bags, the ties may be difficult to apply.
[0004] Various bag constructions have been proposed which
incorporate integral tie strips. These constructions also possess
numerous drawbacks. They require an additional act on the part of
the user to tear away the integral tie strip from the remainder of
the bag. They also reduce the useful capacity of the bag.
[0005] All of these constructions also require that the user
separate the bags by tearing the line of perforations across the
entire width of the bag. When pulling a bag from a dispenser
carton, this can pose difficulty for a user.
[0006] It would therefore be desirable to have a bag construction
which overcomes all of the drawbacks of these prior
constructions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] According to the present invention there is provided a roll
of plastic bags formed as a continuous web of folded and flattened
bags each joined to a longitudinally contiguous bag by a perforated
severance line. The web is formed from a tubular plastic strip
having a central longitudinal axis and the sides of the strip are
tucked in to form two equal inward folds, reducing the width of the
strip by one half. The reduced width strip is folded in half along
the central longitudinal axis so that there are eight layers of
plastic material. The perforated severance lines are parallel one
to the other, are equally spaced along the strip and are orthogonal
to the central longitudinal axis of the strip. A pair of parallel
heat seal lines flank each of the severance lines. A first of the
heat seal lines extends through all eight layers of the plastic
material and a second of the heat seal lines is formed of two heat
seal lines each of which extends through a respective four
contiguous layers of the plastic material. Finally, there is a
cut-out region through the eight layers which extends from the
central longitudinal axis along each severance line a first
predetermined distance and then substantially parallel to the
central longitudinal axis a second predetermined distance past the
second heat seal line and then back to the central longitudinal
axis. Accordingly, each first heat seal line is effective to seal
the bottom of a respective bag, and each cut-out region and
respective adjacent second heat seal line is effective to form a
pair of handles of a respective bag.
[0008] In accordance with an aspect of this invention, the first
predetermined distance is greater than one-half the width of the
reduced width strip after it has been folded in half.
[0009] In accordance with another aspect of this invention, the
second predetermined distance is greater than the first
predetermined distance.
[0010] According to this invention, there is provided a plastic bag
formed from a folded tubular plastic strip. The plastic bag
comprises a closed bottom end including a heat seal line extending
through eight layers of folded plastic strip, and an open top end
having a pair of spaced handles. Each of the handles has a
respective heat seal line extending through a respective four
contiguous layers of folded plastic strip and the handles are
separated by a cut-out region so that the handles extend past an
opening in the top end of the bag.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The foregoing will be more readily apparent upon reading the
following description in conjunction with the drawings in which
like elements in different figures thereof are identified by the
same reference numeral and wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a partially open bag
constructed according to the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a portion of a roll of a
continuous web of bags according to the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIG.
2;
[0015] FIGS. 4, 6, 8 and 10 illustrate steps during the manufacture
of the inventive bags; and
[0016] FIGS. 5, 7 and 9 are sectional views taken along the lines
5-5, 7-7 and 9-9 in FIGS. 4, 6 and 8, respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the inventive plastic bag 20 has a
bottom end 22 and a transverse heat seal line 24 adjacent the
bottom end 22. At the opposite end of the bag 20, there is an open
top end 26 including a pair of handles 28,30, each with a
respective transverse heat seal line 32,34. As will become clear
from the following discussion, the heat seal line 24 extends
through eight layers of the plastic material forming the bag 20 and
each of the heat seal lines 32,34 extends through a respective four
contiguous layers of the plastic material. The handles 28,30 can be
tied together to close the open top end 26 of the bag 20, in
addition to their use in assisting a user in holding the bag
20.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows a plurality of inventive bags 20 which have not
yet been separated one from the other and which are wound into a
roll 36. The bags 20 are joined by, and may be separated at, lines
of perforations 38 between the heat seal lines 24 and 32,34. As is
clear from FIG. 3, when the bag 20 is on the roll 36 and as it is
unrolled from the roll 36, the bag 20 is folded to have eight
layers of plastic material.
[0019] FIGS. 4-10 illustrate steps in the formation of the bag 20.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bag starts as a continuous endless
tubular plastic strip 40 traveling in the direction of the arrow
42. The strip 40 may be considered to have a central longitudinal
axis 44 which is parallel to the direction arrow 42. The first step
in the formation of the bag 20 is to tuck in the two side edges
46,48 of the strip 40 to form two equal inward folds and reduce the
width of the strip 40 by one half, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
[0020] The strip 40 then passes through a first sealing and cutting
mechanism (not shown) which forms the heat seal lines 32 and 34 and
the cut-out region 50. The heat seal lines 32 and 34 are co-linear
(they are preferably formed in a single step) and transverse
(preferably orthogonal) to the central longitudinal axis 44. Each
of the heat seal lines 32 and 34 extends through a respective four
contiguous layers of the plastic material of the strip 40, as is
clear from FIGS. 8 and 9. The cut-out region 50 is substantially
rectangular and extends in two directions away from the central
longitudinal axis 44 substantially orthogonally thereto a first
predetermined distance "a" along the line 22, and then
substantially parallel to the axis 44 a second predetermined
distance "b" past the heat seal lines 32 and 34, and then back to
the axis 44 along the line 26 orthogonally to the axis 44.
Preferably, the first predetermined distance from the axis 44 along
the line 22 is greater than one-half the width of the strip 40
after the side edges 46,48 have been tucked in. Also preferably,
the second predetermined distance (i.e., the distance between the
lines 22,26) is greater than the first predetermined distance.
[0021] The final step in the formation of the bag 20 is illustrated
in FIG. 10. As shown therein, the strip 40 is folded in half along
the central longitudinal axis 44 so that it comprises eight layers
of plastic material. The strip 40 then passes through a second
sealing and cutting mechanism (not shown) which forms the heat seal
line 24 and the line of perforations 38, both of which extend
through all eight layers of the strip 40. The heat seal line 24 and
the line of perforations 38 are both transverse to the axis 44 and
preferably are orthogonal thereto. The line of perforations 38 is
between the heat seal lines 24 and 32,34 and is aligned with the
line 22 of the cut-out region 50. After this final formation step,
the finished strip 40 is rolled up to form the roll 36, which may
comprise a desired number of bags 20. On the roll 36, the bags are
so configured that the bottom end 22 of each bag is further into
the roll 36 than the top end 26. The roll 36 may then be placed
into an appropriate carton for storage, shipment and
dispensing.
[0022] In use, a bag 20 is pulled from the roll 36 by the handles
28,30 until the line of perforations 38 at its bottom end 22 is
exposed. The bag which was pulled from the roll is then separated
from the next bag in the roll by tearing along the line of
perforations 38. An advantage of the disclosed construction is that
only a relatively short line of perforations needs to be severed,
due to the cut-out region 50, which is also effective to provide
separate handles 28,30.
[0023] Accordingly, there has been disclosed an improved roll of
plastic bags. While a preferred embodiment of the inventive plastic
bag has been disclosed, it will be appreciated by those of skill in
the art that various adaptations and modifications to the disclosed
bag are possible. It is therefore intended that this invention be
limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
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