U.S. patent application number 12/498975 was filed with the patent office on 2010-02-18 for package with a resealable closure.
Invention is credited to Gary Plate.
Application Number | 20100040311 12/498975 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41681318 |
Filed Date | 2010-02-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100040311 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Plate; Gary |
February 18, 2010 |
PACKAGE WITH A RESEALABLE CLOSURE
Abstract
A package having a resealable closure is disclosed and comprises
a body, a frame, a door and apparatus. The body is a bag in which
is disposed a product and has an inner surface defining the inner
surface of said package. The frame defines an opening and has a
surface attached to the inner surface of said package. The door has
one edge connected to the frame for swinging movement of said door
between a closed position, whereat the door occludes said opening
to contain said product, and an open position, whereat the door is
orientated to permit access to said product. The apparatus
releasably secures the door in its closed position. The material
forming the bag can overlie the door and be perforated to define a
frangible portion of said material that call be removed or pulled
away to permit operation of the door.
Inventors: |
Plate; Gary; (Carlisle,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GIFFORD, KRASS, SPRINKLE,ANDERSON & CITKOWSKI, P.C
PO BOX 7021
TROY
MI
48007-7021
US
|
Family ID: |
41681318 |
Appl. No.: |
12/498975 |
Filed: |
July 7, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61079191 |
Jul 9, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
383/203 ;
383/100; 383/105; 383/42; 383/86; 493/267; 53/570 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 75/58 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
383/203 ; 383/42;
383/86; 383/105; 383/100; 493/267; 53/570 |
International
Class: |
B65D 33/24 20060101
B65D033/24; B65D 33/38 20060101 B65D033/38; B65D 33/01 20060101
B65D033/01 |
Claims
1. A resealable closure for a package, said closure comprising: a
frame defining an opening, said frame having a surface attached in
use to the inner surface of said package; a door having one edge
connected to said frame for swinging movement of said door between
a closed position, whereat the door occludes said opening, and an
open position, whereat the door is orientated to permit access to
said opening; and apparatus for releasably securing said door in
said closed position, wherein, in use, the door can be opened, to
provide access to the contents of said package, and closed, to
contain the contents of said package.
2. The resealable closure of claim 1 wherein said door is connected
to said frame by a tongue and groove hinge.
3. The resealable closure of claim 1, wherein said door is formed
integrally with said frame and connected thereto by a living hinge
formed integrally with the frame and door.
4. The resealable closure of claim 1 wherein said apparatus for
releasably securing said door in said closed position comprises a
first mating structure disposed on an inner surface of said door
and a second mating structure disposed on said frame, said first
mating structure and said second mating structure being configured
to mate with each other in frictionally engaged relation to
releasably secure said door in said closed position.
5. The resealable closure of claim 4 wherein said first mating
structure is defined by one or more plugs and said second mating
structure is defined by one or more sockets, said plugs being
configured to nest within and frictionally engage said sockets.
6. The resealable closure of claim 1, wherein the door has a
projection therein, in an edge other than the edge of the door
which is connected to the frame; and the frame has an indentation
therein to permit a user to insert one or more digits beneath the
projection to facilitate movement of the door from the closed
position towards the open position.
7. The resealable closure of claim 1 wherein said frame is adapted
to be heat scaled to the material which forms the inner surface of
said package in use.
8. The resealable closure of claim 1 wherein the frame is provided
with a ledge upon which the door rests when the door is in the
closed position.
9. The resealable closure of claim 1 wherein the door is connected
to the frame by a hinge which is hidden from view when said door is
in said closed position and said resealable closure is viewed
toward said outer edge.
10. The resealable closure of claim 1, wherein, when the door is in
the closed position, the outer surface of the door is substantially
flush with the surface of the frame which is attached in use to the
inner surface of said package.
11. A package having a resealable closure, said package comprising:
a body containing a product, said body having an inner surface
defining the inner surface of said package; a frame defining an
opening, said frame having a surface attached to the inner surface
of said package; a door having one edge connected to said frame for
swinging movement of said door between a closed position, whereat
the door occludes said opening, and an open position, whereat the
door is orientated to permit access to said opening; and apparatus
for releasably securing said door in said closed position.
12. A package according to claim 11, wherein the door swings
outwardly from the closed to the open position.
13. A package according to claim 11, wherein the body includes a
frangible portion overlying the opening of the resealable closure
to provide access to and operation of the door.
14. A package according to claim 13, wherein the frangible portion
is defined and bounded by a perforation through said body.
15. A package according to claim 11, having a substantially flat
bottom.
16. A package according to claim 11, wherein the body includes
microperforations which allow air exchange while preventing entry
of insects or larvae thereof.
17. A package according to claim 11, wherein the opening defines a
pour spout for the package contents.
18. A method of constructing a blank for a package having a
resealable closure, the method comprising the steps of: providing a
bag having an open end and an inner surface which defines the inner
surface of the package in use; and inserting a closure according to
claim 1 into the open end of the bag and operatively sealing the
closure to the inner surface of the bag.
19. A method of constructing a package having a resealable closure,
said method comprising the steps of; providing the blank of claim
18; filling the blank with a product; and closing the open end of
the bag.
20. Apparatus for constructing a package having a resealable
closure, said apparatus comprising: apparatus for forming the blank
of claim 18; apparatus for filling the blank with a product; and
apparatus for closing the open end of the bag.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 61/079,191 filed Jul. 9, 2008, which is
incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of reclosable
packaging. More particularly, the present invention relates to a
package having a rescalable closure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Resealable packages are common in the food industry. Such
resealable packages are typically formed from folded and sealed
packaging material and represent a convenience to consumers.
[0004] In such packages, the feature of resealability is typically
provided via the use of a fastener such as a zipper, either of the
type which can be releasably closed by pressure or via the use of
an auxiliary slider mechanism.
[0005] A problem associated with zippers is that bag openings
fitted with zippers can be inconvenient to fill and require special
machinery for filling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] A resealable closure for a package forms one aspect of the
invention. The closure comprises: a frame defining an opening, said
frame having a surface attached in use to the inner surface of said
package; a door having one edge connected to said frame for
swinging movement of said door between an closed position, whereat
the door occludes said opening, and an open position, whereat the
door is orientated to permit access to said opening; and apparatus
for releasably securing said door in said closed position. In use,
the door can be opened, to provide access to tie contents of said
package, and closed, to contain the contents of said package.
[0007] According to another aspect of the invention, the door can
be connected to said frame by a tongue and groove hinge.
[0008] According to another aspect of the invention, the door can
be formed integrally with said frame and connected thereto by a
living hinge formed integrally with the frame and door.
[0009] According to another aspect of the invention, the apparatus
for releasably securing said door in said closed position can
comprise a first mating structure disposed on an inner surface of
said door and a second mating structure disposed on said frame,
said first mating structure and said second mating structure being
configured to mate with each other in frictionally engaged relation
to releasably secure said door in said closed position.
[0010] According to another aspect of the invention, said first
mating structure can be defined by one or more plugs and said
second mating structure can be defined by one or more sockets, said
plugs being configured to nest within and frictionally engage said
sockets.
[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, the door can
have a projection therein, in an edge other than the edge of the
door which is connected to the frame; and the frame can have an
indentation therein to permit a user to insert one or more digits
beneath the projection to facilitate movement of the door from the
closed position towards the open position.
[0012] According to another aspect of the invention, the frame can
be adapted to be heat sealed to the material which forms the inner
surface of said package in use.
[0013] According to another aspect of the invention, the frame can
be provided with a ledge upon which the door rests when the door is
in the closed position.
[0014] According to another aspect of the invention, the door can
be connected to the frame by a hinge which is hidden from view when
said door is in said closed position and said resealable closure is
viewed toward said outer edge.
[0015] According to another aspect of the invention, when the door
is in the closed position, the outer surface of the door can be
substantially flush with the surface of the frame which is attached
in use to the inner surface of said package.
[0016] A package having a resealable closure forms another aspect
of the invention. This package comprises: a body containing a
product, said body having an inner surface defining the inner
surface of said package; a frame defining an opening, said frame
having a surface attached to the inner surface of said package; a
door having one edge connected to said frame for swinging movement
of said door between a closed position, whereat the door occludes
said opening, and an open position, whereat the door is orientated
to permit access to said opening; and apparatus for releasably
securing said door in said closed position.
[0017] According to another aspect of the invention, the door can
swing outwardly from the closed to the open position.
[0018] According to another aspect of the invention, the body can
include a frangible portion overlying the opening of the resealable
closure to provide access to and operation of the door.
[0019] According to another aspect of the invention, the frangible
portion can be defined and bounded by a perforation through said
body.
[0020] According to another aspect of the invention, the package
can have a substantially flat bottom.
[0021] According to another aspect of the invention, the body can
include microperforations which allow air exchange while preventing
entry of insects or larvae thereof.
[0022] According to another aspect of the invention, the opening in
the closure can define a pour spout for the package contents.
[0023] A method of constructing a blank for a package having a
resealable closure forms another aspect of the invention. This
method comprises the steps of: providing a bag having an open end
and an inner surface which defines the inner surface of the package
in use; and inserting a closure according to the invention into the
open end of the bag and operatively sealing the closure to the
inner surface of the bag.
[0024] A method of constructing a package having a resealable
closure forms another aspect of the invention. This method
comprises the steps of: providing the blank of tie invention;
filling the blank with a product; and closing the open end of the
bag.
[0025] Apparatus for constructing a package having a resealable
closure forms another aspect of the invention. This apparatus
comprises: apparatus for forming the blank of the present
invention; apparatus for filling the blank with a product; and
apparatus for closing the open end of the bag.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the releasable closure of
the invention according to one embodiment, showing the door in the
open position;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the closure of FIG. 1, showing the
door in the closed position; and
[0028] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a package according to one
embodiment of the invention, showing the door of the resealable
closure in the open position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] According to one embodiment of the invention, there is shown
a resealable closure 10 with a door 12 in the open position in FIG.
1 and in the closed position in FIG. 2. The door 12 is attached to
a frame 14 by a hinge 16 formed integrally with the door 12 and
frame 14. The frame 14 defines a central opening Z and has a
generally flat outer surface 18 which is configured for attachment
to packaging material, such as a film, sheet or web for forming
bags. An inner ledge 20 is inset in the frame 14 relative to the
outer surface 18. When the door 12 is in the closed position, it
rests upon the inner ledge 20. The inner ledge 20 is integrally
formed with the frame but could be made from a separate member
attached to the frame 14. In certain embodiments, the inner ledge
20 may be continuous around the inside of the central opening Z or
in alternate embodiments, the inner edge 20 may be discontinuous or
fragmented (not shown), but as illustrated, flanks two edges of the
opening Z.
[0030] The hinge 16 is connected to one side of the door 12 and
provides for reversible swinging movement of the door 12 between
the open position shown in FIG. 1 and the closed position shown in
FIG. 2. As illustrated, the hinge 16 is a living hinge formed
integrally with the door 12 and the frame 14 but the hinge could
also, for example, be a tongue and groove-type hinge, or a
plurality of tongue and groove type hinges. In some embodiments,
the hinge 16 is hidden from view when the door 12 is in its closed
position and the closure 10 is viewed toward its outer surface 18.
Other means for hinging the door 12 to the frame 14 such as plate
hinges, for example, are known to those skilled in the art and may
be adapted to the embodiments disclosed herein. Such embodiments
are within the scope of the invention.
[0031] The door 12 is equipped with a facility for opening the door
which, in the illustrated embodiment, is shown as a projection 24
which is integrally formed on the side of the door 12 opposite the
side to which the hinge 16 is attached, and an indentation 26
disposed below the projection 24 when the door 12 is closed. This
permits a user to insert one or more digits into the indentation 26
beneath the projection 24, to urge the door 12 away from the closed
position towards the open position. In the illustrated embodiment,
the closure 10 is provided with apparatus for releasably securing
the door 12 in the closed position. In the embodiment shown in FIG.
3, the apparatus is provided by a first mating structure 28
disposed on the inner surface 32 of the door 12 and a second mating
structure 30 disposed on the ledge 20 of the frame 14 which are
configured to mate with each other to maintain the door 12 in the
closed position as shown in FIG. 2. The illustrated first mating
structure is defined by one or more plugs 28 and the illustrated
second mating structure is defined by corresponding sockets 30.
Each plug 28 is configured to nest within the corresponding socket
30 in frictionally-engaged relation to maintain the door 12 in the
closed position.
[0032] In some embodiments, at least the frame of the closure is
formed of a plastic material which can advantageously be
heat-sealed to the packaging material so that use of an adhesive to
fasten the closure 10 to the packaging material is not
required.
[0033] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the closure 10 has
a substantially square or rectangular central opening Z. One
skilled in the art would recognize that other shapes of the central
opening Z may also be constructed such as substantially circular or
oval-shaped openings (not shown) which may optionally be in the
form of a spout (not shown) that provides for a cleaner pouring
action for pourable products. These alternative embodiments are
also within the scope of the invention.
[0034] In another aspect, there is provided as shown in FIG. 3 an
embodiment of a reclosable package 101 for a pourable product. The
reclosable package 101 includes a bag 100 and resealable closure 10
as described hereinabove. The bag 100, which is closed but for the
closure 10, is formed of any appropriate packaging material, sheet,
web or film which is well known to those skilled in the art and has
a front wall 102, a rear wall 106, two opposing side walls 108, a
flat bottom 110 and a top 112.
[0035] The closure 10 is fastened at its outer surface 18 to the
inner surface of the bag/package so that when the door 12 is open,
access is gained through the central opening Z to the interior of
the package 100 and product may be removed or poured therefrom.
[0036] In FIG. 3, the package 101 is shown open (via the closure
10), with a tear-away flap 116 separated from the remainder of the
bag 100 through the use of a perforation 114. The tear-away flap
116 cannot be resealed without extrinsic sealing means and
therefore functions as a tamper-evident closure. The flap 116
defines one type of frangible portion overlying the opening of the
closure, but persons of ordinary skill will appreciate that the
perforation could equally circumscribe the entire opening, and be
completely removed for access to the closure. Alternatively, a
package (not shown), could be constructed with a cut-out which is
resealably closed only by the closure of the invention. In this
embodiment, an alternative form of tamper-evident closure could be
provided, for example, by a frangible sealing strip which
circumscribes the boundary of the door and frame and is removed by
the user to permit operation of the door. Whereas in the
illustrated embodiment, the closure is of the type having a living
hinge formed integrally with the door and frame, the living hinge
could be part of the bag material.
[0037] In one embodiment, the packaging material forming the bag or
parts thereof includes microperforations (not shown) which allow
air exchange while preventing entry of insects or larvae. Such an
embodiment is appropriate for products that benefit from air
exchange.
[0038] In another aspect of the invention there is provided a
method for constructing a blank for a reclosable package. In the
method, a bag (not shown) of the type used to create the closed bag
100 of FIG. 3 is constructed out of a packaging material using
equipment known to those with skill in the art for this purpose. A
resealable closure according to the present invention is inserted
into the open end of the bag and operatively fastened to the
packaging material. This step may be performed, for example by heat
sealing the closure to the bag. The open end of the bag is closed
in a conventional manner, after filling has been completed. In some
embodiments of the method, perforations as described above are
provided, to facilitate removal of overlying packaging material
from the completed package either as a removable portion or a
tear-away flap. In other embodiments of the method, a cut-out is
provided in the packaging material which forms the front wall of
the completed package, such that the facility is accessible from
the outer surface of the front wall without the need to remove any
overlying packaging material.
[0039] The invention described herein permits the construction of a
relatively inexpensive blank which can be filled and closed using
conventional machinery for bag filling and closing. For greater
certainty, it should be understood that a "blank" means a piece of
material prepared to be made into something by a further operation,
and in this specification, the "blank" is the bag-like structure
having an open end which is filled with product and closed to form
the claimed package.
[0040] Alternatively, the invention also permits the adoption of
the resealable closure of the invention in a form-fill-seal
configuration. In this configuration, form-fill-seal apparatus for
constructing a package having a resealable closure is provided, and
comprises: apparatus for forming a blank according to an embodiment
of the invention; apparatus for filling the blank with a product;
and apparatus for closing the open end of the bag.
[0041] One skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments
of the package described herein are especially but not uniquely
useful for storage of any pourable product whether in solid, liquid
or gel forms. Such products may include food for humans or animals
in either processed or bulk forms, cosmetics, chemicals, adhesives,
paints, or any other product benefiting from storage in reclosable
packaging.
[0042] While various embodiments of this invention have been
illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described above, it
will be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes
could be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
All such modifications and variations are believed to be within the
scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto,
purposively construed.
* * * * *